


The Fair and the Very Few

by romuluswasadick



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Black Family Drama (Harry Potter), Fluff and Angst, French Sirius Black, Gay Sirius Black, I hate that woman, I just want them both to be happy okay, I'm too much of a hopeless romantic for slow burn, M/M, No Wizarding War, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sirius Black Speaks French, Sirius goes to Beauxbaton's, So I have moderate burn, Teamwork, Triwizard Tournament, Walburga Black Bashing, Walburga Black's A+ Parenting, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 21:09:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21277766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romuluswasadick/pseuds/romuluswasadick
Summary: The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black were unwilling to have the stain of their children attending Hogwarts on their reputation. Durmstrang was a contender, though the family ties to French land and the language being ingrained in the family's ancestry led to the enrollment in Beauxbaton's. Sirius and his brother are model students of the French Academy, though it seems that with the approach of the dreaded Triwizard Tournament that Sirius' willingness to remain so dissipates. His new friends found in the supposedly dreadful Gryffindor house are determined to show Sirius that there's more to Hogwarts and life in general outside of blood purity.- Alternate Universe without Voldemort and Wizarding War! I do realise that the Tournament never took place during their school years but allow me this one joy I have found in the world.





	1. Chapter 1

Sirius didn't understand what the big fuss was about. Well, he supposed he did, but he didn't understand why the entire school was in a fuss about it. Yes, he knew the tournament was about promoting "international magic cooperation" and friendship between the three wizarding schools, and yes he knew it would be a once in a lifetime thing to attend and see firsthand. But he still didn't understand why the entirety of Beauxbaton's had to attend lessons to further ensure the students' etiquette and manners were in check and up to standard.

Sirius, along with everyone else who attended Beauxbaton's, knew how to behave himself. It certainly helped that his family made sure he knew how to do so before he had even set one foot outside of Grimmauld Place. He could make amicable conversation with the least interesting guest, he could walk with his back straight and with the poise of a dancer regardless of what ground he walked upon, and he knew his place. Perhaps the lesson he was currently sat in was a last-ditch effort to make sure the students knew they were expected to uphold the reputation of Beauxbaton's Academy. They would be leaving for Hogwarts in less than four hours, and Sirius could easily feel the anticipation bubbling over in the students around him. Their magic was silently crackling in the air, radiating around them like gentle auras.

Soon enough their last class had ended and they were dismissed to finish any packing they might have fallen behind on. Sirius was already packed completely, his trunk full of spare changes of his uniform and a few pieces of ordinary clothing for off days. His trunk was currently sat precariously on the edge of his bed in his dormitory as he chatted idly with his roommates whilst they grabbed any things they thought they might need. Once they finished, students both eligible and willing to go were filing out the doors, anxious to see what the tournament and Hogwarts would hold. 

Hogwarts was, to say the least, impressionable. It was big, though not quite as big as Beauxbaton's. He'd heard stories of the complex nature of the castle before: the staircases that moved of their own volition, regardless of where students might need to go; of secret passageways that led to unknown places; a room that disappeared for years at a time until you truly needed it. That alone made it more impressive than Beauxbaton's to Sirius, and he had yet to set foot inside the ancient school. His parents had once considered enrolling him in the sole wizarding school in Scotland, but the idea of sending their heir to a school that openly accepted muggleborn students and hired muggleborn professors was one they were not fond of. He had been excited at the prospect of Hogwarts as a child, but those were shut down heavily by his mother's drunken rages about any House other than the one his extended family was in. 

Headmistress Maxime and the Hogwarts caretaker dealt with the formalities of their arrival quite quickly, and soon they were finally able to enter Hogwarts. The entrance hall was immensely large, and looked as though it reached two stories into the air without a staircase in sight. Framed paintings reached as far up as the eye could see, and probably well past that. The portraits chattered amongst one another, completely ignoring the students below them. Some seemed excited for the upcoming tournament, while some seemed to condemn the entire affair. Personally, Sirius was agreeing with those that opposed the tournament. The idea of people finding entertainment in teenagers fighting to stay alive in deadly tasks just didn't seem too appealing to him.

The Beauxbaton's students walked slowly, carefully behind the caretaker, with Durmstrang students filing in silently behind them. They were all taking in their first look at Hogwarts while they continued on their way to the Great Hall, many mouths open in awe at the architecture. Judging by nothing else other than the Durmstrang students auras and generally portentous air they carried about themselves, Sirius knew that whichever student chosen from the batch would be a strong contender. It seemed that the grandeur of Hogwarts had distracted the entirety of two student bodies from the fact that they were there to volunteer for a tournament that had previously ended in deaths. The nervous magic weaving its way through the air served as a bitter reminder of that to Sirius, little fearful sparks of his own magic radiating around him. 

Both schools stopped just outside the doors to the Great Hall. Beauxbaton's students were to uphold the poise that was expected of students attending the French academy of magical schooling, and so they had all practised a small bit of magic to display their talents at the request of their Headmistress. Madame Maxime was standing at the front of her students currently, looming over even the tallest of the boys. A moment of silence passed as she gazed over the students, a silent reminder of the behaviour expected of them hanging in the air. The old wooden doors of the Great Hall creaked open, and as the Headmaster of Hogwarts introduced their school, the throng of French students walked forward. 

Sirius knew that he and the students around him probably looked a bit pretentious during their entrance. Their periwinkle uniforms blended in together, almost making them appear as a cloud of blue and they wore short capes that ended just halfway down their backs, an addition Sirius found quite ridiculous. As they walked down the hall pale blue butterflies and faint sparks of magic expelled from their fingertips with a roll of their shoulders. Sirius felt a bit silly doing this all, but the looks of shock and awe on some of the students made it worth it. His eyes were scanning the table on his right, where students with burgundy and gold ties sat (though most were currently standing to see over others in their way), and his gaze caught on a brunet boy at that table, who was standing beside two other boys who were laughing and cheering loudly.

Now, if one was to ask Sirius Black if he found this boy attractive, of course he would say yes. He wasn't particularly subtle with his encounters in his own school and he certainly wasn't ashamed of his sexuality. What his family didn't know wouldn't hurt them, and so they never asked and Sirius never told. Being gay in a pureblood family was taboo and rarely spoken of, but it wasn't uncommon. Many of his ancestors had still married a person of the opposite sex and simply kept their other relations out of sight. That isn't to say it was accepted, but it still wasn't something his family would approve of him flaunting outside of school. Sirius drug his mind away from the politics of finding someone to love and back to the boy that was now looking right back at him. SIrius wasn't normally a bashful person but he could feel his cheeks colouring under the other boy's eyes while he walked past him to the front of the hall with his fellow students. 

Madame Maxime's echoing steps were loud behind them and when she reached the front of the group and scaled the steps to the professor's stage, the Hogwarts Headmaster finally raised his hands to silence his school. He announced that the students may sit where they pleased, though there was two tables for each school should they want to sit amongst familiar faces for the first dinner. Sirius was half tempted ot sit next to his roommates at the assigned Beauxbaton's table but ultimately chose against it. He was naturally curious and he couldn't help himself from wanting to at least learn the name of that boy who, upon further inspection, had a few rather gnarly scars passing over his nose and cheek. Despite the curious glances of his classmates, Sirius walked back to the table beneath the banners with lions. 

He sat down right across from the scarred boy, and next to one of his friends. His friend had an unruly head of hair and horribly thick lenses in his glasses, the former of the traits reminding Sirius of some old pureblood family that had fallen from grace in his parent's eyes. His other friend was beside the intriguing (read, almost unbearably handsome) boy that had caught his attention, though his mousy brown hair and pointy nose brought about no certain family name Sirius could think of. The scarred one which had caught his eye seemed to have more scars now that he was closer, though that would be a question for later; moreover, his eyes were an amber sort of colour that reminded Sirius of a gemstone. 

"Bonjour, boys," With a rather wicked grin on his face, Sirius reached a hand out for the boy to shake. "I am Sirius Black, and you might be..?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus, James, and Peter introduce themselves to Sirius and the second and final school makes their entrance to Hogwarts. Dumbledore makes a speech introducing the Tournament to the students, though there are a few restrictions that disappoint many of the students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise second chapter today! The bits in bold are taken directy from the Goblet of Fire Welcome Feast speech that Dumbledore makes. I do not have enough creativity nor aloofness to correctly write dialogue for Dumbledore. I know that the tournament is mentioned to only be for the three European schools, but I felt that it might be nice to have a new school involved that I've only just started learning about in the wizarding world. Happy reading!

If you were to ask a certain group of Gryffindor boys why their school was hosting such an, in their opinion, egregious tournament, they might respond by saying that the wizarding world loved a thrill. This was nearly unbearably evident in the introduction of the Beauxbaton's Academy students alone and the magic falling from their fingetips like water. Remus might not often stare but he supposed that if he should do so tonight then who could judge? After all there were now foreigners amongst them, and with those foreigners a fair amount of people that were, simply put, slightly more attractive than the youth that usually inhabited the ancient castle.

Yes, Remus might find himself admitting that there was a face he saw in that sea of blue uniforms that caught his attention and kept it. He looked ethereal with the glow of magic around him and as he walked past Remus and his friends with a downward roll of his shoulder, that same wave of butterflies fluttered their way towards the group. Finally the French students reached the far end of the hall and the Headmistress greeted Professor Dumbledore as he dismissed the new students to sit wherever they may choose, with a hearty recommendation to mingle with Hogwarts students. That suggestion seemed to have weaseled its way into the mind of the French boy that had caught Remus' attention and he turned right on his heel and walked towards Gryffindor's table.

James was no fool and had elbowed Remus after catching him staring, resorting quite immediately to teasing his friend about the borderline dreamy look in his eyes. He was, however, kind enough to silence himself once the Beauxbaton's student had sat down next to him and across from Remus. Peter was still grinning about James' snide comments but made no move to encourage him as he had been just a moment before. The new arrival introduced himself shortly after sitting down and held a hand out for Remus to shake, a rather charming smile upon his face. Remus had once thought that he was surely the only person in Europe with such an odd name, but this Sirius Black appeared to rival this claim now.

"I'm Remus Lupin," He introduced himself a beat later, shaking the offered hand twice. "Pleasure to meet you, Sirius."

He might have said more if he had been able to form more than one sentence and had James not interrupted with an introduction of himself, sticking his hand to Sirius' with a much more vigorous shake than Remus had. "James Potter, nice to meet you. Hope you don't mind a bit of mischief now and then; you've chosen quite the lot to sit with while you're here."

"Peter Pettigrew. Was that a charm you used for the butterflies? We've not learnt anything like it here yet." Peter's shake and introduction were quick and only slightly lacklustre compared to the previous two, but he made an impression nonetheless. Sirius was smiling and he shook Peter's hand with the vigor that James had used himself seconds before.

"Yeah, a fairly easy one, actually. I could teach it to you if you'd like, I got the hang of it after a couple days of practise." Sirius offered with another grin. Peter looked quite thrilled at that idea and he nodded enthusiastically at Sirius.

Remus had once thought himself indifferent to accents but he now found that the lilt and blends of words that Sirius said were intoxicating. French was a rather romantic language and somehow caused even the accent to be romantic as well. His heart was pounding in his chest so fast that Remus thought it might just take flight and escape through his throat. He thought he might be able to control his attraction for the French boy, but just two minutes into speaking to him appeared to diminish those hopes to naught.

Any potential continuation of the conversation was cut off by the entrance of the Castelobruxo students from the far end of the Great Hall. Compared to the Beauxbaton's entrance it was rather intense, with mysterious vines and ivy growing from each step they took. The plants that sprouted from those vines appeared to have mouths and were, quite frankly, a bit terrifying looking. James looked excited at that and kicked Remus' shoe beneath the table with a wicked grin, wordlessly insinuating that those might be an inspiration for some upcoming prank. The plants looked like a carpet beneath the Brazilian students in gaudy, bright green robes. Their Headmaster, Armando Dippet, followed a few steps behind and just behind him the carpet of vines appeared to disappear. Once they reached to far end of the hall the students gave a shout that the remaining mouthed plants echoed before disappearing entirely with a loud pop.

Sirius was watching the affair with an amused and intrigued look just as many of the other surrounding students, and when he looked over to James it seemed they were both in agreement that those plant creatures were rather interesting and might serve to be useful in the near future. "Well, that's certainly one way to one up my school," He commented with a bark of laughter. "Those were some ferocious plants, I'm sure they have some fun with herbology there."

"You think so?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow, grinning. The Whomping Willow had been the most intriguing and perhaps most dangerous plantlife he had encountered until this moment, but the teeth on those things looked like razor blades. "Don't get any ideas, James, those plants looked like they might have been responsible for a death had they stayed around much longer. Interesting, though, I wonder what they were."

  
"They looked a bit like the Venomous Tentacula we learned about last year, didn't they? But not the same, and I for one am grateful for that. Those bloody plants spat venom out at the drop of a hat in class." James grimaced at the memory Peter brought up, shaking his head.

Dumbledore was back at his podium now, silencing the students with his arms raised in the air. All the students in the hall fell silent, awaiting the announcements that would surely make the tournament seem enticing to the students.

**"As ever," Dumbledore began, "I would like to remind you that the Forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year. This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing though out the school year, taking up much of the teachers’ time and energy but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely."**

There was a buzz of excitement across the hall from each table, even the Ravenclaws were whispering amongst each other with great fervor about the tournament. It was meant to be a surprise, Remus was sure, but once word had gotten out no one had been able to keep it to themselves. Dumbledore raised his arms again and the students fell silent once more, awaiting the true announcement they were awaiting.

**"I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts, we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year!**

**"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago, as a friendly competition between three schools of wizardry – this year being Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Castelobruxo. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the Tournament once every five years and it was generally agreed to be the a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witch’s and wizards of different nationalities – until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the Tournament was discontinued.**

**“There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the Tournament,” Dumbledore continued, “none of which have been very successful. However, our own Departments of International Magical Co-Operation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that, this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger.**

**“The Heads of Beauxbatons and Castelobruxo, and their students, have already arrived, and on Halloween we will have the Champion Selections. An impartial judge will decide which students, are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school and a thousand galleon personal prize money.”**

Again, chatter spread across the hall like fiendfyre. Down the Gryffindor table there were whispers of what could be bought with the money. James simply grinned and Remus knew just what products his friend was already planning on purchasing from Zonko's should he be chosen for the Hogwarts champion. Several more seconds of excited whispers passed before Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued his speech.

**“Eager though I know all of you will be able to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts,” he said, “the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an agreed restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age – that is to say, seventeen years or older – will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This” – Dumbledore raised his voice slightly for several people had made noises of outrage at these words – “is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the Tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below Sixth and Seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion.” His light-blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over many mutinous faces across the Great Hall. “I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen.**

**“The delegations from Beauxbatons and Castelobruxo will be staying with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter you lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop Chop!”**

Excited and disappointed shouts alike filled the entire space of the Great Hall as students stood up and prepared to head back to their dormitories for the night. James, Peter, Remus, and the new addition of Sirius stood up and smiled at one another while filing out of the hall. The four chattered amongst themselves about the prospect of the tournament, and by the time they had reached the doors Peter and Remus had both stated they were adamantly against joining the tournament. James was beyond excited about the very idea of the tournament and was dead set on entering, and Sirius stated that his family had requested he enter it.

"Pureblood or no, it would be a great honour for my family should I even enter or win the tournament, so of course I will have to," Sirius spoke noncholantly, but it was easy to tell that he didn't particularly fancy the idea of partaking in the dangers. Remus was having a hard time focusing on what he said outside of the harsh sound of his accent. "Though I believe it will be unlikely that I will be chosen. Regardless, the tournament might be interesting to see play out."  
  
"You'd have to be bloody mad to enter in the Triwizard Tournament," Remus argued with a vicious shake of his head. "I hope neither of you get chosen, no matter how fun you think it might be."

Upon reaching the end of the corridor to the Great Hall the three had to part ways with Sirius, and as such all boys bade him farewell. James and Peter walked ahead afterwards, but Remus stood back to say one more thing to Sirius.

"You're welcome to sit with us tomorrow morning during breakfast if you'd like. It's nice to have a new face round here, 'specially one as nice as yours. Goodnight, Sirius." Remus didn't stay much longer than it took to say that. He didn't have much confidence to do so even after seeing a blush spread across Sirius' face just as it had during the Beauxbaton's entrance, but he smiled giddily to himself as he walked quickly to catch back up with his two friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was a bit boring of a chapter but exposition is necessary at times. Let me know what you think of this chapter and the story so far! It's rather nice to pick up the habit of writing again and challenge myself to create the plot myself rather than reading other author's plots. Thank you for reading and the kudos! All are greatly appreciated and make my day :)  
\- Yani :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius spends a morning talking with his newfound friends. Thoughts on the tournament are shared.

Sirius was out of sorts when he awoke in a strange, and rather uncomfortable, bed. It took the collective of himself and the ghastly tapestry on the wall to remind him that he was in Hogwarts, and he would be there for many months more. He might have thought he would be miserable to stay in the ancient castle past the first day of exciting new views, but it appeared that a certain Gryffindor was making that plan quite difficult.

Remus was currently waving Sirius towards him, gesturing to the open seat next to him. Had Sirius been a respectable pureblood in his family he might have turned his nose upwards and walked to his own peers. As it was, he walked over and sat beside him with a tired smile on his face. It was odd that he had bene, one day prior, reluctant on partaking in the Tournament in any way, and now he was beginning to wish it would last as long as possible.

James, who was sat across from Remus, appeared far too chipper for the early hour with his face-splitting grin and rapid-fire arm movements. Peter seemed barely awake enough to even notice James' ramblings, and Remus seemed to be waking up more due to a nearly empty cup of tea in his hand. Upon Sirius' arrival at the table James made quickly to involve him in the conversation, recounting a tale from the previous night in the Gryffindor common room where he had apparently tried to woo one Lily Evans for the first time this year. It didn't seem like his plans went as well as he had hoped, but James appeared to be the kind of person to not give up so easily.

"Anyways, so I was sitting across from her by the fire, right? Totally romantic. She was reading a book about divination, so I think I might take that so I can have a class with her. You guys should take it with me too. I checked, Sirius, they're allowing the foreign students to take two electives from our school outside of your private lessons with the professors that came with you guys," James was speaking at a mile-a-minute and didn't seem like he would stop anytime soon, until Remus raised one hand to silence him.

"You're not going to force us or him to take divination unless we want to. Besides, would you even be interested in it? Reading wine lees, using crystal balls..." He trailed off with a raised eyebrow, waiting for James to respond.

"Well-- no, not..." James faltered, pursing his lips. "But that doesn't matter! I take plenty of classes I don't like, so do you!"

"History of Magic," Peter pointed out in James' brief pause. "We all hate that I guess, but that's a required class to leave after seventh year, innit?"

"You have a history of magic course?" Sirius asked, bewildered. Beauxbaton's students were expected to know that before they set foot in the renowned French academy. There had only been one student who hadn't, and he had nearly been expelled for the offense. Sirius hadn't seen much of him after the first term, and they weren't to speak of the situation anymore lest they wished to be assigned a detention in the Pegasus stables.

"Well, of course we do, but I don't know why we have to take it every single year. Seems a bit redundant after awhile, really." James shook his head and wrinkled his nose at the repeated mention of the dreaded class.

"Could we talk about something other than History of Magic?" Peter groaned, pulling at the ends of his hair. "I'm barely awake as it is and just the thought of that dusty classroom makes me want to fall back asleep."

"Too right, Pete!" James grinned, shoveling a forkful of what appeared to be eggs mixed with... jam? into his mouth.

"Have you decided if you're entering in the Tournament, James?" Sirius asked, figuring they may as well discuss what was steadily becoming the elephant in the room. "Though if you do, I think the brésilien might beat you a minute into the first task."

"I'll have you know, Sirius, that I-- The _what_?" James gaped at Sirius, apparently frightened that a brésilien was some deadly creature, and if so, maybe he'd be better off taking Care of Magical Creatures this year.

"Brazilian, James," Remus groaned, glaring at him. He didn't exactly seem to surprised at the disregard for the similar-sounding word that James couldn't understand. "The student who gets chosen from Castelobruxo to compete in the Tournament."

"Oh. Well, I don't think they'd beat me _that_ soon. I think I'd be able to hold myself pretty well during the first task at the very least. Not sure about the second or third, though."

" I did some reading on the tournaments last night," Peter piped in. "The first task's usually fairly easy, but that depends on who you ask. Last tournament they had to find a plant in a rainforest with poisoned rain for the first task. The second and the third are what you mostly need to worry about though. Most deaths occur in those compared to the first one."

"Well that's heartening to hear, Pete," Remus muttered and shook his head, returning his focus back to eating his breakfast.

Sirius thought back to his mother talking of the tournament when he was young, probably about eight. She had said it was a great honour to partake in it and that ten family members of his had taken part in it since its creation. It was a bloody and gruesome affair, with usually one death per tournament. When he was younger he had gazed up at his mother with awe, truly amazed that such a thing existed in the world. How much had changed since then, he thought. Now he thought the tournament was a despicable thing meant to feed the bloodthirsty ideals of the world, and that it really wasn't a necessary thing to hold at all.

"My mother told me that one tournament ended with all three champions dying," Sirius commented conversationally. "She said the third task was to scale a volcano that was set to erupt in an hour. None of them made it within the time frame. Bit gory of an end, she said. They didn't even split the prize money amongst the families who had lost their children."

The conversation lulled then as the two boys who had just twelve hours earlier been excited about entering such a renowned tournament realised that the chances of them making it out alive were not as sure as they thought. Sirius would enter regardless, of course, at the wishes of his parents. James, on the other hand... Well, now he wasn't so sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the suuuper super late update! Winter threw me for a loop after I got back from California. I hope you're all taking care of yourselves with the change in the weather!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following their discussion at breakfast, the boys discuss the coming entrance window that night. Remus learns more about the goblet and the interested students submit their names for the drawing after the feast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so very sorry for the awfully late update! Everything with Covid-19 was catching up way too quickly for me and I needed some time to catch my breath. I'm out of work now for the foreseeable future and knew that I would like something to distract myself, as I'm sure many of you would as well. I hope you're all feeling well and are staying safe during this pandemic. My well wishes go out to all of you. Again, comments and kudos are always appreciated! So sorry again for the late update, but I hope you all enjoy.
> 
> *EDIT* I realized I had the drawing in two separate chapters so I removed it from this one and kept it in chapter 8. Sorry for any confusion anyone might have had about this!

The remainder of their time in the Great Hall for breakfast passed rather quietly, with only Peter attempting to make conversation simply to ease the tension. With ten minutes left until their classes began, Remus finally spoke. He could feel the anxiety radiating off of James and the sudden unease was obvious in Sirius' tense posture. The severity of the Tournament seemed to be eating them from the inside out. 

"James, Sirius," He began, looking between the two with a look his mother frequently used when speaking to him after his full moons. "I know you both want to enter the tournament, and I entirely understand why. It's... it seems like a cool thing, and it's a prestigious event in our community. But, for the time being, can we.... avoid talking about hypotheticals and previous tournaments? Pete looks like he's about to have an aneurysm from just the thought of it." 

Peter glared at Remus for a second, but soon after looked grateful that he had said something. James looked a bit annoyed at the comment but it quickly passed once he looked over to Pete, and the plate full of food that he hadn't touched since Sirius had mentioned what his mother told him about previous tournaments. Sirius immediately looked apologetic as he reached for his cup of tea, taking a quick drink before he spoke again. 

"Sorry, Peter... I don't exactly have a," Sirius paused and wrinkled his nose, something Remus found oddly adorable. "Filter. Sorry, this is the most I've had the opportunity to speak English for such an extended amount of time." Remus had already begun to accept Sirius' French accent as a regularity in his life, it had gone completely unnoticed that morning. It suited him, though, and his angular features. 

"It's alright, really. Just... very glad putting your name in that goblet is an _optional_ thing and not required. I think I'd find a way to get myself expelled if that was the case. Bloody hell, imagine that." Pete laughed, shaking his head. It seemed he had moved past the dangers of the tournament and onto the fact that he didn't have to particpate unless he wanted to. "How many days till the drawing anyways?" 

"It's just today, actually," Sirius said, swirling the last dregs of his tea in his cup. "Someone mentioned last night that a group of students form Beauxbaton's will be going to the entrance room before dinner tonight. They said that the schools would be doing the same afterwards So, tonight is Beauxbaton's first, followed by students from Castelobruxo, and the final students will be those from Hogwarts." 

"So you'll be there tonight, then?" James looked over to Sirius as he pushed his jam-covered eggs around on his plate. "Our housemates were thinking about being there for the entire time, the Head Students said it would be a good way to show support for the visiting schools. We can offer you moral support." 

Sirius nodded, grinning a little as he did so. Remus was glad Sirius seemed to fit into their little group so well, and that he seemed to like being in their company. The group finished the rest of their breakfast making idle conversation, which was significantly less awkward than the silence a few moments earlier. Sirius was beginning to contribute more to the conversation as the last minutes before their class passed, telling them bits and pieces of what Beauxbaton's and his classes were like in a normal year. 

"I'll see you in the entrance room later then, yes?" Sirius asked as they all stood and gathered their things. "I've got a meeting with one of my professors when you'll be having your lunch, so don't start planning your dramatic entrance into the tournament without me, James." 

"Of course. I'll be sure to keep James from running to beat you to the entrance room," Remus grinned. He knew James was a bit antsy to see the goblet, he'd talked their ears off about it for nearly two hours the night before. Whether it would be made of some magical stone or some bland Muggle element, though really, Peter had argued, the Muggle element might be cooler because there's a fair amount of Purebloods in their school who probably have never seen such a thing. 

Once Sirius was gone James had turned his full attention back to Remus. He had been reading a book about the history of the Goblet of Fire and the Tournament the night before, though his curtains had been drawn tightly shut much to James's chagrin. James had pestered him relentlessly as they got ready for the day and even more so when they walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was at that point that Remus had simply told James to drop the subject, reminding him that he surely didn't want to seem like he existed only to annoy people during his second ever interaction with Sirius. Truly, if he wanted to be friends with him, he should at least seem to be the type of annoying person that just had too much energy as opposed to an egregious amount of curiosity so early in the morning. 

"Well, go on then. I'm no longer being annoying in front of the guest. Tell us what you've learnt about the Goblet. It's unfair to leave your fellow Marauders out of such valuable information. It could be life or death, if Sirius ends up getting chosen." James had adopted the, quite frankly, annoyingly posh tone he reserved for when he was feeling smug. It was funny, of course, but as each year passed it began to sound more like nails on a chalkboard depending on the situation it was used in. 

"Alright fine, you bloody menace. I don't know everything though, I might have fallen asleep during the fourth chapter," He admitted sheepishly. He may or may not have gotten distracted thinking about the stupidly perfect way Sirius's hair had looked during dinner last night. Remus wasn't going to admit it aloud so soon, but a look he had never seen before appeared in James's eyes. James might be clueless, but he wasn't wholly unobservant. "It was created at an unknown time by an unknown person, but there were frequent mentions of it being forgotten for years at a time. The goblet has flames to its edges when it's active, but once the champions are selected the flames extinguish and don't reignite until the next tournament. But in terms of choosing the champions, it's... it's like an impartial judge in the tournament for choosing who's going to participate, but it can still be bewitched. It's not... reported on, persay, but the book mentioned a rumor that someone that tried to use the Confundus Charm on it to trick it into choosing a certain competitor."

"So, someone could bewitch it then, right? I mean, obviously nobody here is advanced in magic to be able to do it but it could be done. That's barmy, mate. You'd think they'd have set up some sort of defensive charm against that." Peter shook his head at the loophole that Remus found quite ridiculous as well.

Nothing about the Tournament really made sense, though. 'Here, you may put your name in this mysterious goblet and it will choose which of you will get to put your life on the line to prove an imaginary ideal of magical prowess over the losers. Also, you might be seriously maimed even if you do win. But you will be unfairly compensated with 1,000 Galleons as prize money. Unless you all die. Sorry! Ta, Fate of Magic.' Honestly, half of the things in the Wizarding world concerned Remus beyond belief and some days he had half a mind to become a recluse of the Muggle world. Regardless of his beliefs, though, it seemed the Tournament would be a looming presence of the school for the remainder of this year. One could only begin to imagine what dreams and terrors it might bring, but truthfully Remus could only hope everyone would make it out alive. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius finds himself bored in his class while his professors remind the students of the fast-approaching tournament. The boys meet again the next day at lunch, where they discuss the tournament and the drawing of the champions later that night. Remus decides now is his best chance to make a move, keeping his friends from bursting the bubble of his plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all like this chapter, it feels good to be back in the habit of writing regularly. I updated the tags because as I was writing I realized I cannot write the slow burn romance that a lot of authors on here can with such ease. I'm too much of a romantic sucker. Happy reading, and stay safe out there! Wash your hands, practice safe social distancing, and feel free to reach out if you need someone to talk to in the midst of this all. Reminder that I do not speak a lick of French so any dialogue is sent through Google translate. I will provide translations at the end of this chapter.

Sirius was beginning to believe he might die of boredom before the tournament even began. The Beauxbaton's Sortilèges professor never gave particularly exciting lessons, but it seemed that in the new environment of Hogwarts they were somehow more boring. Some of his peers thought the same, evidently, as they stared blankly up at Professeur Demange drone on about the history of the Aparecium charm and how it would certainly prove useful to whichever lucky student was chosen by the Goblet. It made sense, of course, but Sirius' mind was buzzing with the thought that there now was a real possibility that his slip of paper would be the one drawn out of the fire. 

"Monsieur Black?" Professeur Demange asked, looking to Sirius with an expectant raise of his eyebrows. "M'as-tu entendu? Ou est-ce que je t'ennui?"

Sirius usually wasn't prone to embarrassment so easily, but when he answered he could feel his face growing hot as he cleared his throat. "Oh, non, monsieur. Je faisais juste penser du tournoi, mes excuses."

Professeur Demage nodded shortly and continued on with his lesson, focusing the remainder of the class on his the many complexities of the Aparecium charm. It was still rather boring for Sirius and every other student, but they each made sure to at least pretend to be interested in their Professeur's droning to avoid any more potential issues. Slowly but surely the class ticked by and so did the following one before the students were to gather in the Great Hall for lunch with the other international students.

Sirius was looking forward to a bit of freedom between his classes but knew he couldn't skip out on the meeting with Professeur Eymard. They would be discussing adding an additional course of Xylomancy to his studies this year. When he arrived at Professeur Eymard's temporary office it was empty, save for the Professeur himself, and he cleared his throat to announce his arrival. 

"Ah, Sirius! Bienvenue, bienvenue, veuillez vous asseoir!" Professeur Eymard greeted him, gesturing grandly to the chair in front of his desk. "Nous avons discuté de la xylomancie plus tôt cette semaine, et je crois avoir trouvé une place pour cela dans votre emploi du temps. Il ne peut pas être ajouté tant que nous ne verrons pas qui est choisi comme champion du Beauxbaton, mais si vous êtes choisi, il semble que cela s'intégrera bien entre la théorie de la défense et la métamorphose." 

"Merveilleux," Sirius said with a good-natured smile. He didn't particularly care where the class went, but he knew adding an additional one to his coursework would impress both his mother and any future employers. "Y aura-t-il d'autres changements?"

He listened to Eymard drone on for another thirty minutes about potential changes that could be made to his timetable in the near future. He was paying attention, mostly, he just sat there and listened rather than interacting with every other sentence. Finally, the meeting was over and he was free to leave. He had missed most of lunch, but if he hurried to the Great Hall he could perhaps find enough time for a quick snack before his next classes of the day. 

He wouldn't be admitting it to any of his friends from Beauxbaton's out of fear of them ostracizing him, but he was looking forward to seeing his new Gryffindor friends again. The halls were bustling with other students, each group offering a smattering of color in the sea of rather bland black Hogwarts robes. He made idle conversation with his French peers while they walked, discussing who they believed would be the Beauxbaton's champion. Sirius knew they were only trying to appeal to him as the Black Heir when they told him they had faith his name would be drawn out of the goblet later that day, but it made him hopeful nonetheless. Yes, the tournament was a horribly gruesome affair but he couldn't deny that he wanted to partake in it. He was desperate to do something that would bring his mother some sort of pride in him this year. 

It wasn't to say that Sirius only ever wanted to make his mother proud of him, he just... was tired of going home during each break from school and being cursed at and sent to his room for speaking at inopportune times. His mind was still occupied with the hope of being chosen for the tournament when he arrived at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, sitting down quickly by the three boys who had quickly become to best part of this trip. 

"Hello, boys," Sirius greeted them as he reached for an empty cup and a pitcher of water. "Please tell me your classes are more entertaining than the repetitive speech I had to sit through in Sortilèges. Merde, you might think our professeurs woudl realize the Aparecium charm is a charm we learned about in our second year. No reason for a lecture on its importance of it for the tournament, we haven't got memory issues. Please tell me your school has a tall tower with a window I can scream out of." 

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' outburst, shaking his head while popping the remainder of his tea sandwich into his mouth. "Aparecium, hm? Sounds riveting, really.You're sure you weren't just distracted by something else?" 

"Like the tournament," James suggested, followed by Peter nodding and giving Sirius a look. "You seemed happy about it last night, though. Bit excited, even." 

"Well of course I'm excited," Sirius laughed, reaching across the table to steal a grape from James' plate. "It would be an honor to be chosen as the Beauxbaton's champion in the tournament. Besides, I only got called on for it once."

Remus was glad he wasn't sitting directly next to Sirius for this meal, he realized while they continued to poke fun at Sirius for being scolded by a teacher. The two had spent most of dinner last night flirting in turns, or at least that's what Remus had hoped they had been doing. Sirius' face had maintained a healthy flush throughout dinner, and just thinking back on it made Remus smile to himself. He had never expected himself to be so straightforward about being interested ina person but Sirius was... something else. 

"Do you suppose they'll be directing us to the entrance room after dinner's done?" Peter asked, looking up to the staff table with his eyebrows furrowed. "I mean, they said it would be tonight and they've not done it yet, and I don't expect that they'd push it off."

"Didn't Remus say that the goblet was enchanted?" Sirius asked, looking over to him with eyebrows raised in question. 

"Uh.. yeah. Yeah, it's charmed, not enchanted, but it's supposed to summon the chosen names from the fires at a certain time. I don't know what, but I would assume it will be after dinner, like you said Pete." Remus said, shrugging. "I mean, it's only another six or seven hours before then anyways, I'm sure we can survive that much longer." 

Sirius was smiling at Remus across the table, now eating grapes from his own plate. "Only six or seven hours, he says. That's like a lifetime."

"Well maybe for you, but we at least have a scrap of patience unlike you. I'm beginning to think yours went out the window when you put your name in that goblet." Remus smiled back to him, shrugging at his petulant look. 

James kicked at his foot from under the table, raising an eyebrow minutely in question at Remus. Remus shook his head, hoping that he would understand that as telling him to wait for later to talk about it. He took the hint, thankfully, and turned back to his plate to finish his lunch. James was smarter than he looked, and Remus knew that. After all, James had been the one to figure out that he was a werewolf, with the help of Peter of course. 

As lunch wound down, Sirius drummed his fingers against the tabletop. "Do any of you have a free hour after this? I'm not particularly looking forward to sitting through another boring lecture in Potions." 

James looked like he was about to say something but Remus beat him to the punch. "I do. James and Peter have, uh, Transfiguration. Right guys?" Remus gave James a look, nodding his head towards Pete with the same look. They both nodded quickly, James clearing his throat. 

"Uh, yeah. Boring class, but I'm about to be failing it and Peter's my lifeline in that class. I'd die without you, mate." James said, glancing over to Pete with a hard look. "We should actually probably go now. Don't want to be late and get another detention." 

Peter looked confused for a few seconds but eventually seemed to catch on, standing up with James and gathering his bags. The two were gone within a minute after waving their goodbyes, with the taller of the two winking at Remus before turning to walk out of the Great Hall. Remus had never been so glad that James at least knew when to take a hint, without Remus having to say something. Sirius looked confused by their sudden departure, but he didn't appear to mind that much when he looked back to Remus. 

"So, are there any interesting places to hide from the professors here?" Sirius asked with a little smile, pulling his bag onto his shoulders. "If you don't mind giving me a little tour. You three seem like the kind of people to know all the good hiding spots here." 

"Well, you've guessed right for that," Remus grinned, standing up with a gesture for Sirius to do the same before walking towards the door out of the Great Hall. "I happen to know quite a few, though I think I've got one in mind that you'll like quite a lot." 

Sirius smiled wider at that, and Remus couldn't help but notice that his walking pace sped up at the mention of somewhere he might like. Remus couldn't say he knew Sirius very well, but just half an hour ago he had asked if Hogwarts had a tall tower with a window to scream out of. He had pondered between the Astronomy tower and the clock tower, but if he was being honest the clock tower had a better view of the courtyard and grounds of the school. 

Remus slowed his steps just enough to be walking side-by-side next to Sirius, hoping he hadn't been reading their interactions wrong. He reached his right hand down by Sirius' free left hand, brushing his fingers against his for a brief second. Sirius looked up over to him at the touch, still smiling, and mimicked the action. 

"So," Sirius said quietly, barely audible in the emptying hallways. "where are you taking me?" 

"The clock tower." Remus said, looking forward now as they turned down a corridor. "You said you wanted a tall tower with a window to scream out, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "M'as-tu entendu? Ou est-ce que je t'ennui?" - "Did you hear me? Or am I boring you?"  
"Oh, non, monsieur. Je faisais juste penser du tournoi, mes excuses." - "Oh, no, sir. I was just thinking of the tournament, my apologies."  
" Bienvenue, bienvenue, veuillez vous asseoir! Nous avons discuté de la xylomancie plus tôt cette semaine, et je crois avoir trouvé une place pour cela dans votre emploi du temps. Il ne peut pas être ajouté tant que nous ne verrons pas qui est choisi comme champion du Beauxbaton, mais si vous êtes choisi, il semble que cela s'intégrera bien entre la théorie de la défense et la métamorphose." - Welcome, welcome, please sit down! We discussed xylomancy earlier this week, and I believe I found a place for it in your schedule. It can't be added until we see who is chosen as the champion of the Beauxbaton, but if you are chosen it looks like it will fit well between defense theory and Transfiguration."   
"Merveilleux, y aura-t-il d'autres changements?" - "Wonderful, will there be any other changes?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus and Sirius take a walk to the clock tower. They discuss the history of their schools to distract from the drawing of the champions later that evening. A little sweet exchange of words between the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I return! Sorry for such an ungodly long time between updates.... Life has been crazy. I've been working mad hours and attending protests in nearby cities. I hope you're ALL staying safe and find solace in this chapter. I cannot write slow burn for the life of me so we wi be diving in straight away to the little bits of Remus and Sirius being together! What can I say, I'm a sucker for romance. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please comment any feedback, constructive criticisms, and ideas for further chapters! I've found myself at a bit of a standstill in terms of mapping out the tasks. I've planned the first one minimally, but would love to hear any input for the second and third. Happy reading!

The walk to the clock tower was rather confusing, though Sirius couldn't exactly complain about seeing more of the school. Exploring Hogwarts was quickly becoming the highlight of the past couple days, especially with Remus leading the way. Remus was pointing out certain paintings as they walked past them, explaining the frames' inhabitants and some of their histories. It was all rather fascinating, and Sirius found himself hanging onto Remus' every word while they walked. Their hands kept brushing, and at some point during the fifteen minute walk their hands had become intertwined, a fact Sirius found himself giddy about. 

"That one is of Silvio Astofi," Remus said as he pointed at a portrait of a thin man with a pointed chin and dark hair riding a broom with an almost feral grin. "He was a famous broom racer. He was in a race with Torquil McTavish, but at the end of the race their fans got into a fight. Astofi got transfigured into a chicken in the right, and McTavish was hit with a hex that turned his knees backwards. It ended with an explosion, and destroyed the Colosseum. It was fixed before the Muggles found out, of course, but apparently it had been reduced to rubble." 

Sirius looked up at the portrait with an amused grin, watching as Silvio Astofi ducked a branch on his broom. "How do you know so much about these people? Do you have a class specifically about your school's collection of paintings?" 

Remus laughed shortly at that, and Sirius felt a little bit of heat in his cheeks at the sound. "Sorry, uh, no. I just... I read a lot during my first year here. Mostly kept to myself before James and Pete got me to open up more. There's a few books in the library about quite a few of the paintings. I had been a bit infatuated by them for a few months, after seeing that one of Silvio, actually." 

Sirius looked up at more paintings as they walked past, humming in response before he spoke again. "Beauxbaton's is... Well, in a word, I suppose it's more... Regal. We've paintings, of course, but nowhere near as many as Hogwarts does." He looked over to Remus, smiling primly at his intrigued expression. It seemed they were both eager to learn about each other, and their schools. 

"I always found the wood nymphs to be the most interesting when I first arrived. They sing to us when we eat, it's all rather silly now that I think about it, but it felt very magical when I was younger. Now I think I like the fountain in the main courtyard the most. Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, met there. Legend says the fountain has healing and, how do you say, beautiful properties." 

Remus couldn't help the smile at the misspoken English though he didn't correct him, which Sirius found endearing for some reason. One final turn led them to the top of the stairwell of the clock tower, and Remus squeezed Sirius' hand as they walked towards the opening that looked over the courtyard and out to the rickety, covered bridge that led to the furthest grounds past the entrance of the school. Sirius wasn't scared of heights, persay, but it was still a bit jarring to look upon the courtyard and the students that looked so small below them. 

"It's beautiful from above, isn't it?" Remus asked after a moment of silence between the pair. "It's quiet up here, too- I used to come up here a lot when I was younger to have some peace and quiet from James and Peter."

"I see why," Sirius said quietly, looking down at their hands joined together while they leaned on their elbows against the railing. The wind was biting with the autumn chill setting in, the promise of the coming winter sneaking in. "I've always found the wind to provide clarity. My brother and I used to sit on the roof of our home late at night, naming all the constellations we were able to see. Especially in the later months, the breeze offered a way for us to clear our heads of our family's pressures." 

Sirius' voice turned somber as he spoke, and as his voice trailed off he cleared his throat. He hadn't meant to sound so sad, though he had found himself thinking of his brother and how they had been slowly drifting apart over the past years. 

"Do you think your name will be called for Beauxbaton's?" Remus asks, and Sirius finds himself glad that he had changed the subject. "I've been thinking a bit about the chances of it, actually. There was 16 Beauxbaton's students who entered, counting you. That gives you a 6% chance of the one being chosen." 

Sirius gave him a questioning look at that, to which Remus muttered something about having stayed up late the night prior doing the maths for it. "Honestly, I'm not sure," Sirius finally said. "Of course, I can hope I am, but... I suppose we won't know until later tonight. Do you want me to be chosen?" 

Remus wasn't sure if he should answer truthfully. He looked down at their hands, then out to the bridge before he answered. "Truthfully, no. I know we've just met, but... I care about you, Sirius. I'd be scared out of my wits if you were the one chosen for your school. But I know how much you want this, and while it bloody scares me beyond words, but it's been done. All I and the others can do now is offer you support if you are the one chosen, and worry our pants off." 

Sirius smiled sadly and squeezed Remus' hand tightly, unable to find it in himself to laugh at the odd slang the other boy had. He couldn't bring himself to say it, but he was scared beyond comprehension too. It was a scary concept, to put his life on the line for the sake of entertaining a crowd of people. 

"If I get chosen," Sirius finally says, "Just know you will be my lifeline, Remus Lupin. You, and James, and Peter... You will be my hope to get through it alive." 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus and Sirius spend their free class block together at the clock tower. They learn more about each other and Sirius gets his chance to scream out the window. The two share some sweet moments and have a sickly sweet farewell before the next class block.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I do believe I've finally gotten over my writer's block! I wrote this the day after publishing the 6th chapter and it pained me to wait a week before publishing this one, which is why it's being published at midnight. Mayhaps Tuesdays will be my update days now, though I make no promises! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and are finding yourselves well during this challenging time in the world.  
Wash your hands, keep yourself safe, and take days off! Thank you all so much for reading <3

The boys stared down at the courtyard for the remaining thirty minutes of the class block, making idle conversation and now resolutely avoiding the topic of the tournament. Sirius told Remus of his family, carefully avoiding any of the more concerning bits of information. He rather liked Remus and didn't want to scare him off with the dreadfulness of his blood relatives. So he told him of his younger brother, who was also visiting Hogwarts for the tournament but would not be entering, and of his charming Uncle Alphard, who gave his mother a nose-biting tea cup every Christmas for five years straight. 

"And she never caught on?" Remus laughed, picturing a regal woman who looked similar to Sirius attempting, time after time, to drink of her tea each year on the day after Christmas only to be bitten on the tip of her nose by a viciously charmed tea cup that was meant to be a gift. 

"She always thought her brother, her frère, would one day learn to be mature with his gift. The last time she got it she made me use it," Sirius pointed to a small divot on the tip of his nose. "It didn't let go, but he stopped after that year."

Remus eyed the scar on Sirius's nose for a second and shook his head. "At least he got four years of fun out of it before your mother ruined it." Sirius laughed in return, smiling in a way that lit up his entire face and made Remus' stomach do a flip. 

Before Sirius could respond the clock behind them turned its final hand upwards and the bells began to chime, signalling the end of the class block. When Remus had visited the clock tower for the first time he had expected the bells to be deafening when they rang, but thankfully there was some sort of muffling charm on them for those who stood in its near vicinity. When he looked over, Sirius looked a bit disappointed that their free time, without the meddling of other students and friends, was over. 

"Suppose we better get going then, hm?" Remus asked while taking a step back from the railing of the clock tower, gently pulling Sirius back with him. He seemed reluctant to leave, which Remus could understand. He didn't seem particularly interested in the classes he and his peers from Beauxbaton's were taking, and Remus could only hope that he wanted to stay so they could enjoy each other's company for a bit longer. Remus knew that's why he wanted to stay.

"Yes, I suppose so." Sirius agreed reluctantly, though he took a step back towards the railing with a mischevious grin. "But first, I have some unfinished business with this window." 

Remus released his grip on Sirius' hand to let him lean forward on the railing, watching as he took a deep breath to prepare himself. 

"La classe de charmes est préjudiciable à la société! Je souhaite que ce soit fini maintenant!" Sirius yelled emphatically, his face tinged red when he took a step back from the railing. He smiled rather quickly afterwards and turned to Remus, nodding as though to say he was done now. 

"What were you screaming about?" Remus asked as they walked down the stairwell, Sirius remaining behind him due to the cramped space. He thought he had heard some words that sounded similar to those he knew in English, but he didn't want to make an assumption. He glanced back over his shoulder to hear Sirius's response, the look of sudden contentment making Remus's stomach flip flop yet again. 

"Charms class," Sirius said simply with a shrug, pausing to gather his thoughts. "And its detrimental, uh... position in society. My class is one day and we're already being taught things we already know." 

"Our charms prof has already reiterated the same spell twice this year. Same excuse as yours, of course- 'This spell will serve many uses should one of you be chosen as our school's champion for the Triwizard Tournament'." Remus mimicked their Charms professor, quite well too, with a roll of of his eyes. 

"They introduced one new class for the Tournament, actually," Sirius commented after a laugh at Remus' mimicry. "I think it's pronounced... Xylomancy?" He asked, cringing a bit at the way his accent butchered his guessed pronunciation. His professor had said it much better, but he managed to spit it out as "Silo-muncy". Yes, he was blushing, but not if anyone asked about it. 

"Xylomancy," Remus smiled in a good-natured way. "The x is pronounced as a z, it's a bit weird. I think I remember reading about that last year, though. It's to do with Divination if I remember correctly, something about twigs." 

"Oui," Sirius thought back to the class, but he could only recall one spell being brought up during that class block. "They taught us a spell, we call it 'Sort de Quatre Points,' I believe that's the Four-Point Spell for you." 

Remus simply walked in silence for quite a few seconds after Sirius named the spell in French, unable to trust his voice to remain steady should he have answered right away. He cleared his throat and looked back at Sirius when he finally gained enough stability in his chest to speak without fear of sounding like a prepubescent boy. "Uh, yeah. We covered that briefly last year in Divination. James thought it was boring, but I thought it was rather interesting. That one will probably be useful for the Tournament, so it's good they're teaching it now." 

They chatted amicably while they walked down the remainder of the stairwell, discussing the differences between their classes. Beauxbaton's classes seemed to be more theory-based, with the exception for the Potions and Transfiguration classes. Sirius enjoyed his Potions classes the most and found himself excelling in it from his first year at the French academy of magic. He was excellent with the theory of Defense Against the Dark Arts, but had never been given a chance to properly try any spells they discussed. 

Remus told Sirius of the Hogwarts classes, nearly all of which were a combination of spell and theory work, excluding History of Magic. Which, of course, was truly just an hour of being talked at by a long-dead Professor Binns (Sirius thought it was truly fascinating that they were taught by a ghost). He told him of their Defense lessons and the spells they had learnt over the years, promising to show him some that would likely prove useful during the Tournament. He answered any questions Sirius had about the goings on of Hogwarts, politely correcting any misspeaking throughout their conversation. He didn't mind the broken English Sirius often used, or the rather endearing French accent he spoke with. 

They eventually arrived back in the main hall and had to go their separate ways for the remaining classes of the day. The rest of Sirius' day was filled, he had a double Advanced Potions class next, followed by Defense theory, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. Remus's schedule was much more spread out, but he explained that he used his time between classes to go to the library and either work on his own essays or tutor other students in Transfiguration depending on the day. 

"I'll see you tonight at dinner then," Remus said after explaining his schedule for the rest of the day. It was nearly six hours away and Remus was already antsy to be able to sit next to Sirius again in the Great Hall. He felt silly for already being so infatuated with the French boy, but what could he say? Sirius was beautiful, with deep black curls that went down to his shoulders and gray eyes alight with laughter whenever he saw him. 

"At dinner. It was lovely to talk with you without James and Peter butting in five seconds. Thank you for showing me the clock tower, I believe I'll spend quite some time there during my free block." Sirius smiled at Remus as he spoke, hoping he would understand the unspoken invitation for Remus to join him in the future. He reached down for Remus's hand again and lifted it towards his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss against the back of it as a farewell. "Au revoir, mon chou." 

Remus could feel the blood immediately rushing to his face at both the sweet gesture and the French goodbye from Sirius. As soon as Sirius turned around and began to walk away a face-splitting grin spread across Remus's face and, while he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he did a happy little jump and dance before walking to his own classes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "La classe de charmes est préjudiciable à la société!" - "Charms class is detrimental to society!"  
"Je souhaite que ce soit fini maintenant" - "I wish it was over now"
> 
> I've been thinking of adjusting chapters already written and adjusting future chapters to show Sirius' accent phonetically. If you could let me know your thoughts on this below it would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you again for reading <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius has his classes and a discussion with another Beauxbaton's student on the way to the room holding the Goblet of Fire. The entrants from each school place their names into the fire and Sirius begins to have second thoughts about entering the Tournament, but only after he's already entered his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheeky early update. I've been researching opinions of people on writing bilingual characters and have ultimately decided to not phonetically spell out Sirius's accent. From what I've discovered the way I have been writing Sirius's accent is one of the best ways I can. Please excuse any errors in the French, Google translate is my friend for this fic... I hope you all enjoy this chapter- comments and kudos are always appreciated! 
> 
> Stay safe out there <3

The remainder of Sirius's classes passed as slow as an Erumpent walked, with each class block seeming to go slower and slower. He had barely managed to pay attention to any of the lectures his professors were giving, though it seemed they were mostly just discussing how their teaching proceedings would go given this year's schedule. By the time he made it to Arithmancy, usually one of his favorite classes, he was quite ready to either snap at anyone who bothered him or simply walk up and leave the classroom. As the Arithmancy professor droned on and on about Arithmancy and its relation to curse-breaking. Sirius knew this already, of course, because of the nature of his family home. He had long ago begun to further his studies of Arithmancy on his own, aided by his family home's extensive library and its many numerology texts. 

As the clock ticked on in the corner, with Sirius' eyes following its every move, Professor Dansereau sounded as though she was speaking slower and slower with each passing second. He had learnt his lesson earlier in Charms, though, and at least bothered to pretend to look interested in what was being taught. With the last ten minutes of the class block remaining Professor Dansereau seemed to finally be wrapping up the lesson and reminded her students of an essay that would be due in two days time, with no exceptions. The tournament hadn't yet started and once it did she would only accept that excuse from the single student who was chosen as the school's champion. 

The following ten minutes passed slowly but once they were gone and his class was dismissed, Sirius was up and out of the classroom within fifteen seconds. He could hear his peers' comments about how quickly he left but he didn't care- he wanted to put his name on the goblet then see Remus and his friends again, and to know which Beauxbaton's student would be the champion for the Tournament later that night. He nearly got lost on his way to the room where they were keeping the Goblet, which was previously a classroom until the wooden goblet took up residence in it, but thankfully found a group of other Beauxbaton's students who would also be entering their names into the Tournament. They spoke amongst themselves quietly as they walked, reverting rather quickly and comfortably to their native tongue. 

"Comment était l'arithmancie, Sirius?" A boy beside him, whom Sirius recognized as Alexandre Bellard, asked while they walked down the chilly corridor. 

"C'était ennuyeux, juste des choses que nous savons déjà," Sirius shrugged in response, not particularly wanting to keep up with a conversation but knew talking to someone would be better than walking in uncomfortable silence. Alexandre was in the second double Advanced Potions class, so Sirius took his chance and asked him what he had missed. "Comment étaient les potions?" 

"Ah, c'était bon, en fait. nous avons discuté de la potion wiggenweld et de ses utilisations pour le tournoi." Alexandre was one of Professeur Coudriet's best students in advanced potions, though he and Sirius had different class blocks for it. Many of the students who came for the Tournament were those in advanced classes, and as such the classes had to be split up due to the ever-changing schedule. 

"Oh, c'est bon. J'espère qu'ils n'en auront pas trop besoin, cependant." Their conversation trickled to an end as the group of students came to a stop in front of the closed door to the room that housed the Goblet. They could hear chattering from inside of it, likely the Hogwarts students James had mentioned when he had briefly seen him at lunch. The Beauxbaton's students stood outside in silence for a moment before someone in the front pushed the doors open for those who would be entering. 

Rather than rush in like a group of bumbling baboons, the French students queued up quickly before they walked into the room, the posture of the few slouching students immediately fixed. They filed in slowly and Sirius used that time to count how many students from his school would be entering. There appeared to be, like Remus said, 16 of them. Sirius was around the middle of the group and, given the cramped nature of the front of the room that the Beauxbaton's students currently stood in, was very glad that that he had written his name down on a piece of round paper during Arithmancy. Within three minutes he was in front of the Goblet and raising the paper up to the flames, tossing it in and quickly taking a step back as the flames grew bigger.

Across the room he saw Remus's sitting by James and Peter, their housemates sitting around them in a tight knit group. Nearby were groups of students from the other three Hogwarts houses, and the students with green ties were glaring rather viciously at Sirius. He had a few cousins, once- or twice-removed in that house, though they never really spoke outside of ridiculous family gatherings or weddings. He stood off to the side with Alexandre and the other Beauxbaton's entrants while the remaining students put their papers in the Goblet, waiting until all Beauxbaton's students had finished before moving with them to an open area of benches across the room from the Hogwarts students. 

Soon after the Beauxbaton's students sat down, the Castelbruxo students were filing in just as neatly. Their uniforms were considerably more impressive than those the Hogwarts students were wearing, and the flashiness of the patterns added a sense of intrigue to their look. They moved much quicker than the French students and their line of 18 students was sitting in the next empty spot of benches within half the time of those before them. They sat in orderly rows upon the benches with their wands in their folded hands, speaking quietly amongst themself as the few Hogwarts students stood to repeat the process. 

Given there were only 8 Hogwarts students entering, they were done faster than even the Castelbruxo students and soon enough all three groups were seated in near silence. They all sat and watched the fire crackling in the wooden goblet, though Sirius's thoughts and eyes drifted over to the group of Gryffindor students and focused Remus sitting in the middle of them. Something in his heart tinged with a taste of fear and yearning. He was scared of the tournament, yes, and drawn to Remus's company... But what he hadn't expected was the fear of leaving a hole in that very boy's life should anything happen to him during the Tournament. 

The seated students must have collectively decided when it was time to leave, because when Sirius blinked himself out of his reverie he saw his classmates standing around him. He quickly stood up with them, his eyes now on the Goblet. He had suddenly begun to quietly hate it, and the Tournament it represented. Sirius looked once more to Remus standing amongst the Gryffindor students, despising the fact that he had to uphold the Beauxbaton's standard of grace and elegance. The Hogwarts students were filtering out of the room like they had been locked in, and Sirius desperately wished he could do the same as he watched Remus's head disappear through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Comment était l'arithmancie, Sirius?" - "How was Arithmancy, Sirius?"  
"C'était ennuyeux, juste des choses que nous savons déjà... Comment étaient les potions?" - "It was boring, just things we already know... How was potions?"  
"Ah, c'était bon, en fait. nous avons discuté de la potion wiggenweld et de ses utilisations pour le tournoi." - "Ah, it was good, actually. we discussed the wiggenweld potion and its uses for the tournament."  
"Oh, c'est bon. J'espère qu'ils n'en auront pas trop besoin, cependant." - "Oh, that's good. I hope they don't need it too much, though."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys meet in the Great Hall after the hopefuls enter in the tournament, and in true Me Fashion i refuse to let there be slow burn in any way, shape, or form. Let them be friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Here I was, thinking you all were waiting on chapter 10 so I've been working hard at it all night only to find out this morning I forgot to post chapter 9. Well, forgetfulness aside, I hope you all enjoy this update! Comments and kudos always appreciated <3

There was a large crowd of students already milling about in the hallway when Sirius and his peers filed out the door, which posed a bit of an issue since he had to push through a couple tightly knit groups but he managed to do so within a few moments. It took him half the time to get to the Great Hall than it had that morning for breakfast and his pace picked up considerably when he saw Remus's head of curls across from James and Peter. Of course, he was out of breath by the time he sat down, but if the others noticed they didn't say anything. 

Sirius smiled widely at the three boys as he sat beside Remus, reaching for a piece of chicken that smelled deeply of home. He had heard his friends talking the night before of the magic that ran deep in the Great Hall, with the house elves in the kitchens below somehow knowing what would fit the needs of all students inhabiting the ancient castle. Sirius hadn't had cognac chicken in a rather long time and was rather looking forward to it now, gathering a spoon of vegetables from the same platter. The other boys already had plates full of food, though it appeared they had gotten there slightly sooner. 

Poor Peter looked rather anxious as he picked at his plate of chicken drumsticks, broasted potatoes, and a small medley of vegetables in the corner. Sirius thought back to what Remus had said that morning at breakfast, and made a mental note to not bring up the Tournament and the drawing later that night unless strictly necessary. Peter looked like he might pop a blood vessel just listening to students at nearby tables discussing it and the outcomes they'd prefer. James didn't seem to mind the nearby discussions as much as Peter did, but he also didn't look too enthusiastic about it anymore. He hadn't seemed so interested in the Tournament since Sirius had parroted what his mother had told him after breakfast either. 

"How were your classes?" Sirius piped in after a few painstakingly silent minutes of the four of them eating. He wasn't necessarily one to complain about a silent meal due to the nature of family dinners at home, but this sort of silence felt like it would be deafening if it wasn't interrupted soon. 

"Boring," James groaned after a mouthful of curry and rice. "They just told us what the syllabi would be like this year with the Tournament and all. There was a few Castelbruxo students in Divination, though, and they all seemed friendly enough."

"It's pronounced Cas-tell-broo-shoo, James." Remus interjected. "Not Cas-tell-brux-so." 

"Oh," James said sadly, shaking his head to dispell any embarrassment. "Well, at least I didn't say that in front of any of them. That makes me feel marginally better."

"How were your classes, Sirius? And your meeting before lunch?" Peter asked after a pitiful shake of his head in James's direction. Sirius had interacted with Peter the least out of the three friends, but he was beginning to see just why the other two enjoyed his company so much. He rerouted conversations as necessary to include a silent observer or keep away from tetchy subjects. Sure, Peter wasn't the most talkative himself, but he seemed to always work to include those around him in conversations, and that alone provided another reason that Sirius was glad he had stepped outside his comfort zone as soon as he arrived at Hogwarts. 

"Repeating. The professeurs explained our curriculum and changes for the Tournament. The meeting was for a new class for the Tournament, I will be adding Xylomancy once we figure the Champions after tonight." Sirius almost didn't notice the looks of confusion on James's and Peter's faces at the mention of the new class that would soon appear on Sirius's roster, far too distracted by cutting a large piece out of his chicken and shoving it in his mouth, table manners be damned. He quickly swallowed his bite of chicken to explain it to them, tapping his the blunt edge of his knife against the table."Uh, it's kind of like Divination. We don't have a standard Divination course at Beauxbaton's, but they've been introducing new classes this year." 

"Oh. Well, that sounds interesting, actually," James eventually said, the confused face washed away by a wide grin. Sirius would never be able to understand the way positivity seemed to radiate from the very core of this boy. "Maybe we can study together once you find out when it'll be in your schedule. It's probably not the same as the Divination course since it's more specific to just one practice, but I'm sure we could help each other out somehow. We could do after dinner if you've the time, there's four hours between dinner and curfew."

"We could all study together," Remus offered secondly, and Sirius could swear he could feel Remus's eyes on him while he continued to eat his dinner. "Seeing as it'll likely be the only time we see each other outside of meal times. From what Sirius told me about his schedule and this new class likely being added in after tonight, it seems like it'll be the only time to hang out other than mealtimes." 

"We won't have to study every night," Sirius shook his head, simultaneously thankful for them already trying to plan time they could hang out and stressed at the concept of doing his schoolwork sitting so closely to people he could already tell would be distracting. It was not wholly to do with them, of course, as Sirius learnt and worked best on his own with little to no interaction with other people. "It might be nice to have the help but I think my mind would molder with so much consistency in my schoolwork. Besides, if it's pretty much our only truly free time we may as well use it to do something a bit more fun than homework." 

"But of course, Sirius," Peter scoffed as James guffawed into his goblet of mulled wine. "If you think that any of us other than Remus could do schoolwork for four hours straight, five nights a week, you would be sorely mistaken. I can barely handle an hour a night, and James is more apt to plan a prank than finish his essays." 

"Oi, watch yourself, Petey!" James squinted at his friend, looking to Remus secondly for reassurance. "Remus isn't The only one who can do that! Remember the night we stayed up for ages writing our Astronomy essays last year? And that was even without Remus, it was the night after the-- Uh, the party we threw for the... Chess club." 

Remus was suddenly still beside Sirius, glaring dangerously at James. He was holding the knife he had been previously using to butter a piece of bread tightly in his hand, and Remus's skin was turning white from the grip. James himself looked bashful, and Peter looked like he had seen a Poltergeist at their table for a couple of seconds. Sirius looked between the three friends for a few awkward seconds before clearing his throat, thankful at least for the background noise that the other surrounding conversations dulled their silence. 

Before anyone could consider starting a new conversation a hush fell over the Great Hall. Sirius whipped his head up to where everyone else was looking- Headmaster Dumbledore had taken his place at the podium.

"I trust you have all had a filling meal on this lovely evening," Dumbledore spoke with a lightness that didn't fit the imposing Goblet that was being Levitated through the large door of the Great Hall. The warm glow of the sconces and enchanted ceiling dimmed and turned cold when he next spoke. "and as you all finish your meals, I would like to ask that you all remain seated. The selection of the Champions from each school will begin shortly. I wish good luck to all that have entered." 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The champions are announced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update because I feel bad for forgetting about chapter 9 and I'm very proud of how chapter 10 turned out ^-^ Comments and kudos always always appreciated!   
Stay safe & healthy <3

Dumbledore excused himself from his podium with a familiarly odd adage, a curious smile upon his face, "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." 

Remus could swear Dumbledore's eyes were on his group of friends, and more specifically on Sirius beside him. The boy beside him had a pensive look on his face as the students around them slowly began to stand up to allow for the tables to be Levitated further apart for the Goblet. Remus reached down and grabbed Sirius's hand, tugging him up just before their table was Levitated by the Charms professor. The dimly lit sconces and flickered ominously in tandem with the flames in the Goblet and the stars of the enchanted ceiling, causing the suddenly apparent dark circles beneath Sirius's eyes to look sickly. The past few days hadn't been kind to him, Remus realized quickly, what with the sudden change in location and fast approach of the Tournament. 

Once a wider central aisle was opened for the Goblet it continued its journey to the raised board in front of the Professor's raised dining area. The students quickly sat down once it dropped down with a dull thud, though Remus found himself still holding on to Sirius's hand as the pair sat back on the wooden bench of the Gryffindor table. His hand was clammy in Remus's, though you never would have been able to tell Sirius was nervous by looking at his face. Remus knew he was nervous and he certainly must have looked it if the reassuring smile James offered him was anything to go by. He wasn't even the one who put his name on the Goblet and yet Remus's heart was thrumming in his chest like a caged hummingbird.

"And now, " Dumbledore stated, his commanding voice echoing throughout the hall from an inconspicuously cast Sonorous charm. "The moments you've all been waiting for. The champions selection." The Goblet of Fire burned an unearthly red in front of Dumbledore as he walked in a circle around it. The burning came to a head as the fire shot out a singed piece of paper, the flames suddenly flickering a dull blue as the paper floated down into the professor's open hand. 

"The champion from Castelbruxo, Marcos Silva!" A boy from a table far to the right stood up with a face-splitting grin. Cheers erupted from his side of the Great Hall, and his companions in matching robes applauded in his honor. A few looked jealous, but the vast majority of them seemed to be wishing him well when he left their table. His hair had a bluish glow to it from the ominously burning Goblet and the sconces and torches on the walls as he walked towards Professor Dumbledore. The two shared a brief exchange and what Remus could only assume was a congratulations, judging by the kind smile on the Professor's face. Soon after the Castelbruxo champion departed the Great Hall through the door usually reserved for the professors, and Dumbledore quickly cleared his throat to dispell the whispers spreading across the Great Hall. 

The Goblet glowed a dangerous red as soon as the Brazilian student disappeared through the door. Remus knew which school's champion would be announced next and he gripped Sirius's hand tightly, glancing over to see the fire reflecting in his eyes. Maybe it was fear thrumming in his chest, or maybe it was hope. Fear that it would be Sirius's name- hope that it wouldn't be. There were 16 entrants in total from Beauxbaton's, and the odds of it being Sirius were 6%. He had done the math, of course he knew the chances, and-- and the fire spewed a circular piece of paper, rather shaped like a donut, upwards in an angry spit of flames. The paper fluttered down to Professor Dumbledore's waiting hand gently, only singed around the edges and smoking heavily. He shook the paper quickly to dispell the smoke and the singed edges faded to ash and char. 

"The champion from Beauxbaton's," Dumbledore paused, reading what Remus was sure was an elegant, slanted script. The brief seconds of silence seemed to stretch on for an eternity in Remus's mind before the Headmaster finally spoke again. "Is Sirius Black!" 

Remus's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach and he closed his eyes to wish it back up to the middle of his chest. He blinked away the few tears that had begun to gather in his eyes and turned to look at Sirius, offering him a smile as the Beauxbaton's students erupted in loud cheers. Sirius didn't look nearly as sure of his entrance in the Tournament as he had earlier in the day, but there would be no going back now. He stood up after a quick shove from a nearby student in matching blue robes, smiling brightly as he walked haltingly towards Professor Dumbledore. The two shared a brief exchange just as the student before did, and then Sirius was being ushered out of the Great Hall. He spared one last glance towards Remus, though this time around his smile seemed a bit more forced. Once more Dumbledore commanded silence from the students and the Hall was quiet. 

The Goblet roared an angry red for the third and final time that night, spitting out a folded square of singed paper in half the time it took to produce Sirius's name. The paper floated peacefully into the outstretched hand and Dumbledore unfolded a crease while clearing his throat. "The Hogwarts champion," The hall fell silent, and Remus swore they could have heard a pin drop, with the crowd of students in the Hall being a majority of the British students. After the gripping fear of hearing Sirius's name, Remus was thankful beyond words that James had chosen to not put his name on the goblet. "Constance Flint!" 

A girl from the Slytherin table stood up faster than Dumbledore could finish saying her name. Her ice-blonde hair gleamed eerily as she strode confidently to Dumbledore, and the way she walked reminded Remus so clearly of how he had seen Sirius on the night of his arrival. He remembered James mentioning that a lot of the Slytherin students were related to the Black family in one way or another, some of them such as Bellatrix Black being cousins to Sirius. 

After Constance was sent out of the Great Hall the remaining students immediately began chattering amongst themselves, equal parts giddy with the fact that their friends were chosen and fearful for what terrors the tasks might bring. Remus whipped around on the bench to face James and Peter, both of whom seemed to be in the same mindset that he was. 

"Blimey," Peter finally said after swallowing a lump that must have been the size of a frog in his throat. "Dunno if I ever thought it'd actually be him." 

"Me either. We've only just met the bloke but I feel like I've known him as long as I've known you two." James shook his head incredulously before turning his attention to Remus. James might not be the most observant boy, but he had seen his friend's hand in Sirius's and the looks they had shared over dinner and before he had left the table. "You look like Dumbledore's just murdered your pet kneazle." 

"Don't call Sirius my pet kneazle, James," Remus muttered, despite knowing that was beside the point now. "We'll help him. He doesn't have to deal with the-the tasks on his own. There was never any rules against it, I read through all the rules last night. I couldn't sleep." 

"Well, of course we're going to help him. Right, Pete?" 

"Too right. I've got loads of stuff from Herbology written down in my notebook, plus the garden we've been growing on the roof." Pete reached into his bag and pulled out the notebook, setting it on the now emtpy table. All around them students were filtering out of the Great Hall, and the three lowered their voices to whispers. 

"Not to mention your lots ability to illegally brew potions," Remus glanced around to be sure no one could hear him before he spoke, leaning steeply towards the two over the table. 

"Oi, that was a one time thing! And besides, a little bird tells me someone's grateful that we committed that crime." James says haughtily, pulling his bag up off the bench and gesturing for the other two to follow suit. "Come on, nearly everyone's gone and I've a feeling this conversation won't be private for too much longer." 

James was glaring at someone on the opposite end of the Great Hall who appeared to be moving closer, and as Remus followed his gaze he saw Snape walking over to them with an incredibly unattractive sneer on his face. Remus didn't follow the extent that James and Peter did when picking fights with and pranking Severus, but he shared the same strong dislike. Snape was a nosy git who had an unhealthy habit of putting his nose where it didn't belong, especially when it came to Remus's furry little problem. 

"I see you've made friends with the French champion," Snape said coolly, eyes glued to the notebook that Peter was now shoving back in his bag. "You might want to watch who you keep company with. Especially you, Lupin. You're meant to respect your betters, not become friends with them." 

Remus gritted his teeth to keep himself from saying something he might regret, glaring at James so he would also keep quiet. Peter wasn't too much of a worry thankfully, he would just silently seethe and plan a prank as revenge. Remus cleared his throat and plastered on a fake smile, his face painfully tight as he turned back to Snape. "Thanks, but I think I can decide who I'll become friends with, Severus. Nice chat." 

Remus turned and walked away before Snape could get any more words in, thankful that he could hear James's and Peter's footsteps behind him. "Honestly, he's such an ignorant git. Throwing around his blood purity bullshit while he's half-blood himself, just like me!" Remus seethed, clutching his bag tightly in his hand while they stormed out of the Great Hall and down the corridor. 

Remus stopped when they reached an alcove set back in the wall, breathing in deeply through his nose before the anger seeped out through his skin. He looked back to James and Peter, gesturing for them to sit on the bench in the alcove. "Sorry. We should wait for Sirius, for the meeting or whatever the champions went to, to finish." 

Remus wasn't one to lose his temper often, given that he felt he needed to keep it in check due to his lycanthropy. The full wasn't for another week and a half but the anger always seemed to begin to simmer in him for the two weeks before it, waiting impatiently to boil over on the final night. He also wasn't usually the one to get angry at Severus but he had been having a fairly decent day before he had bothered him, despite Sirius's name having been called for the Beauxbaton's champion. Within the time it had taken him to walk to the end of the corridor and then apologize for his outburst the anger had already cooled considerably and he could feel the tremors of anger beginning to still in his body. James and Peter offered him sympathetic but understanding looks, though remained quiet whilst they waited for the champions to return from their meeting. 

The meeting was thankfully over within the next five minutes and the three boys straightened up at the sound of the large doors of the Great Hall being pushed open slowly. The Castelbruxo student, Marcos, and Constance were still speaking with Dumbledore as they walked away from the hall, and Remus heard the Headmaster mention that the Minister of Magic would be arriving at the school shortly to oversee the Tournament. Sirius trailed behind them by a few steps, and when the Headmaster bade them farewell and wished them a restful night he was quick to return the pleasantries before excusing himself. He looked exhausted as he walked towards the three Gryffindors, as though the past fifteen minutes had sucked months of life out of him. 

"Well," James finally said, patting his hands against his bag in his lap. Remus often forgot that James had been given a proper pureblood upbringing, but it was painfully evident in the formality of his voice at this moment, even if it was in jest. "Congratulations, I suppose, are in order. How does it feel to be the one and only Beauxbaton's champion in the Triwizard Tournament?" 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lads meet up with Sirius after the champions' meeting. Drama ensues, from multiple parties involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An on-time update! I hope you're all enjoying so far, please let me know if you catch any inconsistencies or errors! I just found out I reiterated the same point in two completely different manners across two separate chapters. Stay safe out there. Comments and kudos always appreciated <3

All it took was James asking how Sirius felt about being the champion for the severity to settle heavy on his heart, and a lump was beginning to form in his throat at the thought of having to participate in the tasks. He felt so different now than he did when he had first been told of rumors of the Tournament being hosted again by his mother two months earlier. So changed, so estranged, so... so lost. 

"It feels like I'm being crushed by that stupid Goblet," Sirius admitted as he pushed his hands back through his hair, holding the sides of his head and leaning against the wall heavily. Yes, the Tournament was a great honor to be a part of but for the love of all magic, why had he thought it would be a good idea? He could have just told his mother he put his name in and not done it. No one would have been the wiser, but what was done was done. "How am I going to prepare for this? Shall I let you loose a horde of poisonous creatures upon me each fortnight? Je prie les étoiles au-dessus de survivre assez longtemps pour décevoir mes parents par la suite." 

It wasn't the best time for jokes, but Sirius didn't want to be, well, serious about this right now. He would allow himself a night of panic and uncertainty now and vowed to retain the cool demeanor of his namesake the following morning. Except, Sirius now remembered, a reporter from the British paper The Daily Prophet would be arriving at the school the next morning to interview the champions. He could only hope it wouldn't be a reporter his parents held influence over. 

"Well, aside from that gibberish at the end, I see we're going straight to the dramatics. I can do that." James nodded, an appraising look on his face as he nodded at Sirius. "I heard a few of the Slytherins saying you'd likely make it to the second task alright, so that ought to give you some hope. I personally think you'll do splendidly-" 

"Let's put a pause on the dramatics, shall we?" Remus interrupted with a sharp glare that immediately silenced James. "We're going to help you, obviously. Not just... Sic whatever creatures we can find lurking in the potions cupboards upon you. You'll need strategy, not just luck." Remus's voice was firm and he was looking resolutely at Sirius while he spoke, but he could sense the other boy's worry and care lingering in his gaze. The time they spent together in the clock tower felt so long ago, yet their farewell afterwards seemed to be just moments ago with the way Sirius's heart now began to flutter in his chest. 

"Well, guess we know what our studying sessions after dinner are going to be for now," Peter said meekly. He didn't appear to be excited at the concept of any research involving the Tournament but he, as well as Remus and James it seemed, sounded resolute in the new plan to help Sirius. "I'm sure they'll have something in the Restricted Section about previous Tournaments. Might help a bit with the whole... Strategy bit." 

Sirius couldn't think of anything to say in response to their outpour of sudden support. He wasn't used to people who wanted to help him just because they liked him, most of the time when anyone offered help back at Beauxbaton's it was to gain the favor of him or his family. There was no ulterior motives to these actions, just three people showing more genuine kindness than Sirius was sure he had ever seen in his life. Remus was watching him with a thoughtful look as he stood quietly, and all at once the reality of the situation and the heaviness of realizing their support was genuine washed over him. He wasn't sure what happened first- the feeling of tears welling up in his eyes and escaping, or Remus stepping forward to pull him into a tight embrace. Sirius didn't remember the last time he had been hugged, but he was sure it wasn't as reassuring and warm as this one. 

"You'll be alright, Sirius. You've got us to help you and we aren't going anywhere." Remus was speaking quietly in his ear and Sirius nodded in response, unsure of how to process the kindness overwhelming him. It was odd, he felt, to have someone be kind to him without him having to do something to earn it. With his family they would have been kind to him, proud of him, for being chosen as the champion, but not to reassure him that this didn't mean certain death. 

Maybe he was being existential about the Tournament, but really, when you're chosen to be one of three participants in a tournament well known for often ending in tragedy and death, what else are you meant to do? Of all situations that Sirius had acted rather melodramatic about, this one was justified. Regardless of the dramas raging on in Sirius's head, Remus was still speaking and James had begun to do the same at some point too. He didn't know what this school's Restricted Section contained but they were discussing a shelf that James had sworn he had seen a book about previous Triwizard Tournaments, their tasks, and what they entailed. Remus agreed that that shelf would likely contain the information they wanted, since he had borrowed a book from the same one the night before to learn more about the Goblet itself. 

"Well we've still got a couple hours before curfew for the night, we may as well go read up now. Did they tell you what the first task is going to be?" Peter asked, looking rightfully concerned about it. 

"No," Sirius grimaced as he shook his head. Personally, he found that most concerning currently. They hadn't even given the students a hint about what the first task, or any of them really, would contain. It was... concerning, to say the least, combined with the brief and gruesome introduction on their roles as champions for their schools. "They just explained some of the rules, and said the first task would be on November twenty-fourth." 

"Well, it could be worse, I suppose," Remus said quietly, but his expression didn't seem like that of someone who believed their current predicament could be worse. "Granted, we've no clue what to research but we can get a general idea of the past tasks. That might give us an idea about what it'll be for this Tournament. There can't be too much in regards to differentials of the task details." 

"Guess we better go start our research now then, lads," James said, ever the optimist it seemed, clapping a hand against Peter's shoulder as he stood up, looking amongst the three other boys with a small grin. "Before Madame Pince can get a head start on hating us this year, too. Works out quite nicely. Now come along lads, those books aren't going to read themselves." 

With James's incessant encouragement already beginning, the four boys set off to the library with an air of anxiety about them. Sirius could only hope that something in those books would give him any sort of step up over the other champions. It might be dramatic, but all he Sirius could think about while they walked was that his life was hanging in the balance with this Tournament.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Je prie les étoiles au-dessus de survivre assez longtemps pour décevoir mes parents par la suite." - "I pray to the stars above to survive long enough to disappoint my parents afterwards." 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's now days before the first task, and despite the raising concern the boys have a chatty and normal breakfast. Dismal tones set in as it comes to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello! I'm very sorry for the late update, I just recently quit my old job and am taking some time off to relax and simmer down before starting my new one. I'm rather happy with this chapter, but as always look forward to your comments and any feedback. Happy reading, and stay safe!

The next three weeks passed in an unfairly quick fashion, many evenings of alternating between studying for classes and studying for the tournament blurring into one another. Peter had been the one to find a book about the tournament that actually proved useful, though it was just a large tome which contained many old news stories and papers about outstanding events in the Wizarding world. The research alone wasn't the only thing that made the passing of the next month painstakingly slow and stressful, though. 

There had been many days where Sirius wasn't seen at all until dinner due to meetings and interviews for the tournament. Just five days earlier the champions had their wands weighed and tested to ensure they were up to standard and in working order. Garrick Ollivander was an odd fellow, Sirius had said, telling Sirius that his wand was of an interesting sort. It was reed, 15 inches and rather stiff with a Phoenix feather core. It was well suited to him: apparently, reed wands were best suited to bold, eloquent speakers with great loyalty; the Phoenix feather core was indeed the rarest wand core, but it was capable of the greatest range of magic yet difficult to tame; and the stiffness of the wand lent to the combined aspects of the aforementioned characteristics, making it indeed loyal to Sirius and unwilling to change ownership. 

The interviews that had occured thrice in this month, and each one annoyed Sirius and the others more and more. Remus had heard many complaints about the audacity of one R. Almedius, the Daily Prophet reporter who had been assigned to conduct the weekly interviews of the champions. As far as Remus knew, the Daily Prophet wasn't exactly well-known for being the most reliable source on information. It might cover necessary stories, but the facts they shared were a little shortcoming. The Ministry had some sort of grip on them, he heard his father complain about it every time he read any particularly ridiculous story that spoiled his morning tea and the remainder of the day. 

On this particular morning the story broadcasted across the front page of the Prophet was that of Sirius's apparent fall from grace. His family apparently had Floo'd to London for the upcoming Tournament and would be staying in a family home in one of the city's boroughs, and judging by their statement to the Prophet they weren't exactly thrilled by their son's avoidance of his relatives in Slytherin House. There was a sub article that explained in further detail the interactions each champion had been holding during their time at Hogwarts, rather specifically pointing out that the other foreign champion seemed to be keeping with his classmates. 

With an annoyed groan Remus folded the paper closed roughly and tossed it to the side. Today would be the only day he was thankful Sirius hadn't showed up to breakfast yet, elsewise the paper would have wound up in his morning porridge. James looked up at him over the frames of his glasses, fork full of jam-covered eggs moving in slow motion towards his mouth. 

"Slander in the paper again?" He asked after he had swallowed the disgusting mash-up. "My mum's always told me to not trust what you read in the paper, or at least to take it with a grain of salt. Can't even trust the reports on the weather nowadays; they'll predict a sunny day and two hours later it's snowing." 

"Sirius's parents and brother are in London and they've had an interview with the Prophet," The Gryffindors had heard plenty of stories about the aforementioned family over the past month, and they were enough to make the milk at the tables curdle. "They don't seem to be pleased with the company he's been keeping during his time in green, old Scotland this past month." 

"To hell with that they say," Sirius muttered as he threw himself into the bench beside Remus. Peter startled at the sudden movement and spit out his pumpkin juice, and James simply smiled brightly in greeting while shoveling his jammy eggs into his mouth. "Their minds have been tainted with the curse of their incestuous birthright." 

"Good morning, Sirius," Peter said once he recovered from his spill, dabbing his napkin against his chin quickly. "The first task is in a couple days, have they told you what it is yet?" 

James shoved his shoulder against Peter with a Stern gaze. "Well bloody hell, mate, give the lad a chance to wake up before reminding him of his impending doom." 

"Sorry," He grimaced, smiling apologetically as he buttered his crumpet. 

"Oh it's alright, James. Dumbledore's been telling us the first task is meant to test our daring, so it's all about our courage in the face of unknown." Sirius had adopted an aloof mocking of the Headmaster's tone. "We only get our wands though, so the risk of us dying is perhaps as serious as I first thought. They did mention that the champions would be exempt from end of year exams, though. I think that blonde Slytherin wench was close to jumping in excitement." 

Remus looked up at James, tapping his spoon against his bowl of Waffleos while he watched the anger on James's face morph into jealousy. "Well if I'd known that I wouldn't have to take the final exams this year, I might have reconsidered entering in it... But then again, I don't particularly fancy drowning in, uh, magma." 

"I'm glad you value your life more than some twenty inch essays, James," Remus said, rolling his eyes and spooning another bite of his cereal into his mouth. "But they really haven't told you anything? Not even a hint?" 

"Ah, no. Though Marcos did try and pester Professor Dumbledore into telling him what it was. It didn't work, but we cannot fault him for trying." Sirius smiled into his cup of tea, raising his eyebrows briefly in Remus's direction when he glanced over to him. "Besides, our research on the previous Tournaments has proved useful. They like creatures for the first task, preferably dangerous ones." 

They made idle conversation throughout the remainder of their breakfast hours, but Remus could barely focus on what anyone was saying. Sirius was sitting so close that their legs were touching and their hands had brushed and bumped and lingered far too many times for Remus to properly keep track of. James and Peter surely noticed, if their waggling eyebrows and horridly sultry winks were anything to go by, but neither said anything. Remus's copy of the Daily Prophet sat forgotten on the bench beside Sirius, though the photo of the sinister Black family stared at the passersby with contempt and repugnance. They could make pretend for the next two days, but come Wednesday they would face the very real threat of Sirius's life being in the balance against an unknown foe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No French translations for us this week. Comments and kudos always always appreciated!!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus and Sirius complete their final research the night before the task. Sweet moments to offset the worrisome ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a great time writing this chapter and am quite happy with how it ends. Apologies for the slightly late update, but I hope you all enjoy this update. I hope you're all staying safe out there <3

It was Tuesday now, and the evening found the four boys in the library. James and Peter had excused themselves to peruse the Restricted Section in search of any other forbidden texts on the Tournament. Sirius was watching Remus out of the corner of his eye while he read, taking note of the rather egregious scab that was finally fading away to tender, new flesh across his forearm.

Call him nosy if you must, but Sirius had been quite curious about what might have created such a wound that it couldn't be healed. Yes, dark magic wounds couldn't be healed, but Remus had only told Sirius that he had been off to visit his ill mother and had fallen in the forest near his home in Wales. What kind of tree had dark magic? Plenty of them, of course, but they all had to have been cursed or hexed to be so. Regardless of the plausibility of Remus's statements, Sirius was still curious. He had left early in November and had returned a week later, looking as though he had had a run in with a rather nasty horde of Dugbogs. 

Sirius had been carefully dancing around asking outright what had happened, making statements that it seemed his wounds seemed to be taking an awful long time to heal. The forest is inhabited by all sorts of nasty creatures, Remus would say. They live near a village of rowdy wizards who might have spilled a potion brewed improperly on the trees. None of them even remotely related to any previous stories, and the most ridiculous of all was when Remus claimed he had been mauled by a rabid Kneazle. 

"Your arm looks better," Sirius commented, tapping his finger against the spine of his now closed book. "I was beginning to worry you'd lose the arm if it stayed like that any longer." 

"Oh, it's fine. I'm... My mum sent some healing salve the other day. Her owl is slow, so it took like a week and a half for poor Gemma to arrive." Remus explained away, only looking up from his book briefly. Sirius might not be the best at reading people, but Remus had a very obvious tell when he was lying: he could barely make eye contact. 

"Is that so?" Sirius mused as he sat up straighter, crossing his legs and resting his chin on the heel of his palm. "Well, slow owl post and mysterious wounds notwithstanding, have you found any useful information for the task tomorrow? I've found absolutely nothing useful here, only woeful articles from family members of Triwizard Champions past." 

Remus looked wary of Sirius's first comment for a few seconds before the expression was schooled into one of frustration. "Uh, no. Nothing. It seems they want to keep the details of the tasks under wraps. The only thing this mentions is that the first task is meant to test your daring, which we already knew." Remus closed his copy of _The Tumultuous History of the Triwizard Tournament_, author woefully anonymous. "It seems we will remain in the dark until tomorrow morning." 

The first task was scheduled to start at 9 am sharp, with Castelbruxo's Marcos Silva being the first on the playing field. The champions would be meeting in the morning for a private breakfast with their mentors and the overseers of the tournament. Sirius was desperately hoping that the Daily Prophet reporters wouldn't be interrupting what might be his last meal before a gruesome death, but judging by the sudden public interest in the Tournament over the past week that wouldn't be the case. 

"Well, we've got some sort of idea of what it might be," Sirius argued. They had spouted potential locations of the first tasks during lunch earlier that day and listed them on a piece of spare parchment, much to Peter's dismay. "It's likely to be nearby, and since this task is meant to test my... "Daring," whatever that means, we have a general idea. James mentioned the Forbidden Forest, you suggested the Black Lake. It's bound to be one of the two, though neither of them sound particularly enjoyable for me." 

"Well, unfortunately," Remus sighed and reached his hand across the table to rest on top of Sirius's, which had been tapping anxiously against their list of possibilities. "This tournament isn't exactly engineered to be enjoyable. Regardless of that, you're allowed your wand, and we've been studying defensive and practical spells they weren't covering in class. You're aces at the Xylomancy spells you've learnt so far, and above all of that you're an incredibly talented wizard. You've got this in the bag, Sirius. We all believe in you." 

The two had grown closer over the month of November, spending any free time from the other two boys together. Remus had taken Sirius down to the village of Hogsmeade the past two weekends, introducing him to the wonders of Zonko's Joke Shop and Dervish & Banges and the delights each shop contained. Much to Sirius's peers' chagrin, he had taken a liking to the Frog Spawn Soap and Hiccough Sweets. Sirius learnt that Remus had a shocking taste in music, with an out of kilter mix of Muggle artists such as David Bowie and Queen and Wizarding bands such as The Hobgoblins and Spellbound. He took his tea milky, with three cubes of sugar, and he much preferred a walk through Hogwarts's courtyards over a stroll in the stuffy corridors. 

Remus told him of his mixed upbringing between the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, introducing Sirius to many a Muggle wonder (Really though, what _is_ electricity?) that had made Sirius wonder why people thought Wizards were ever superior. Sirius, in turn, shared stories of his sheltered upbringing split between time in the French countryside and a family home in a borough of London. He left out the concerning details, choosing instead to emphasize on the grandeur of the ancient homes and the adventures he and his brother had in the desolate halls. 

"My mother and father wrote me yesterday evening. They want to see me after the first task," Sirius mentioned offhandedly, looking up from their hands and into Remus's eyes. So far he had only told the other boy that they weren't the most nurturing parents, but Remus was smart and it seemed like he knew more about the situation than he let on. "That is, providing I survive the first task. Mother mentioned that, depending on my performance in the first task, my more, uh, distant relations may arrive to spectate the remaining tasks." 

"Spectate, but not support?" Remus had a scrutinizing look on his face, and a scar above his lips glinted as he pressed them into a thin line. As Sirius suspected, Remus for sure knew more than he let on. "Well, regardless of them, know that James, Peter, and I will be your biggest supporters in the crowd tomorrow. James was even working on a sign last night." 

Sirius smiled gratefully at him, flipping his hand so he could squeeze Remus's in thanks. Despite how short the time Sirius had been at Hogwarts, he felt like he had known Remus for ages longer. The month of planning and research had led to minimal panicking on Sirius's part due to Remus's uncanny ability to divert the conversation or subdue any worries. 

"It's getting late." Sirius eventually said quietly, gazing out the tall windows with a remorseful look. "I suppose we should head out separate ways so I can at least try to get a proper amount of rest before tomorrow's chaos." 

"I'll walk you to the Beauxbaton's quarters," Remus offered as they gathered up their books into one stack, waving his wand to send them to their homes in the shelves. Sirius reluctantly stood to leave, still finding himself quite uncertain of his odds in the first task, and gratefully took Remus's outstretched hand. They walked back to the Dragon Studies classroom, which had been converted into living quarters for the French students, in silence. Somehow it felt akin to a goodbye to Sirius, who still had it in his mind that tomorrow was seeming more and more likely to be his death day. 

They arrived at the silent classroom, now certainly filled with sleeping students, too soon for Sirius's liking. "Well, I suppose we'll be seeing each other next as I walk towards doom." He knew he was being melodramatic, yet again, but honestly why shouldn't he be? It was a scary prospect, knowingly walking towards a challenge that was meant to put you at death's door, and it was the only thing he could think of right now. 

"Don't be so dramatic, Sirius," Remus chastised, nudging his side with a shake of his head. "You'll do fine, I know it. Even the betting pools are in favour of you winning first or second place." 

"Well the thought of that just fills me with hope for the future." Sirius replies sardonically, laughing shortly and pushing his hair away from his face. He'd spent the last week listening to the other champions, specifically Constance Flint, flaunting their preparedness for the first task. It was hours away now, and Sirius felt wholly unprepared. 

"Hey, you're gonna do great, Sirius," Remus said softly, reaching for one of his hands and turning him to face him. Remus leaned his forehead against his and offered him a small smile. He slowly leaned forward to press a chaste kiss against Sirius's lips, and... and Sirius found all of the stress leave his body. Again, he found himself amazed by how close and in sync they had become over the past month. 

"For good luck," Remus clarified, squeezing Sirius's hand and stepping back with a smile. "Goodnight, Sirius. Sleep well- you'll need all your focus for tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No French translations this week! Comments and kudos always always appreciated <3


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lead up to the first task. Some split POV throughout this chapter. Some Remus having that "what are we?" moment mentally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe I'm back to updating on a semi regular schedule for you guys!! Quite a few French translations this chapter, I hope they're all correct 😊 I've been using a different website recommended by a few people on tumblr, everyone said it was loads better than Google. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Breakfast the following morning was a solemn affair at Gryffindor table, with what little conversation there was trickling into silence within a few moments. Remus was alternating between taking sips of lukewarm tea and fidgeting with the fraying hem of his jumper, oblivious to the annoyed looks he received once he started jiggling his leg. He might have been the one telling Sirius he was going to do fine in the first task, and of course he did believe it, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. They hadn't established whether they were exclusive, whether they were dating, but Remus was hoping to get the chance to speak to Sirius about that following the first task. 

"He'll be fine, Remus," Peter remarked over his steaming cup of coffee, displaying what he likely assumed was a confident expression. "We've helped him prepare the best he can, spell- and strategy-wise." 

"Pete's right. He's a brilliant wizard, all that's left now is for him to put all that knowledge bouncing around that pretty little head of his to use." James concurred. He had spent the better part of the last 24 hours keeping his friends from focusing on the worst case scenario. It had worked well for Peter, as he was an unusually optimistic person, but Remus still looked doubtful. 

"At least we know where it is now," Remus said quietly, looking up to the staff table where the professors we're eating, sans their Headmaster. "But I'm beginning to wish we might have done some more research on the Forbidden Forest now." 

\- 

The overseers of the Tournament, Headmaster Dumbledore, and Minister of Magic Minchum were droning on about the upcoming task from a raised platform in center of the repurposed Wandwizardry classroom. It was set to take place in the Forbidden Forest east of the school, and what little information Sirius had learnt about it throughout his research did little to comfort him. There was rumors of Trolls, Thestrals, Acromantulas, and many more dangerous creatures that Sirius was glad he couldn't recall inhabiting the forest. He thought back to Dumbledore's reminder that courage in the face of the unknown was an important quality in a wizard. He wasn't feeling wholly courageous about facing deadly magical creatures, but he did know how to put on a front. 

"Sirius, êtes-vous prêt pour la tâche? Tu as l’air distrait." Headmistress Maxime asked him with a raised eyebrow. She was an astute woman and had learnt quite a bit about the Black heir in her seven years as his Headmistress and in her four years as his tutor in nonverbal magic. 

"Oh, oui, juste.. encore un peu fatigué. J’ai eu du mal à dormir la nuit dernière." Sirius waved his hand, a noncommittal gesture. He had spent an hour and a half the previous night holding his hand to his lips, frightened that the kids had been a figment of his imagination. For good luck, Remus has said.... 

"Quel est votre plan?" Madame Maxime enquired, arching a delicate eyebrow at Sirius. She didn't seem upset that he had branched out past the French students, if anything she seemed almost grateful. "Je suppose que vos nouveaux amis vous ont parlé des créa tures vivant dans cette forêt interdite." 

"Mon plan est de trouver le dossier dès que possible." Sirius knew it wasn't exactly a plan, but it was all he had. Minister Minchum had informed the champions that their task would be to find a Prophecy Record hidden in the forest, but they hadn't mentioned what the Record would hold. "J’aimerais survivre aujourd’hui avec un minimum de blessures." 

Madame Maxime hummed in response, taking a long drink of her tea. Sirius knew his Headmistress had faith in him, but also knew that his plan was a bit flimsy. He could only hope that the rumors of the Acromantulas were falsified- he rather disliked spiders. 

\- 

The three Marauders had steadfastly focused on their classes today, for once preferring to pay attention to their lessons rather than the first task that would be taking up the remainder of the day after lunch. Remus had been so resolute in focusing on anything but the Tournament that he had finished all of his assignments for the next week, and all his essays were at least 3 inches longer than the requirement. James and Peter hadn't been as dedicated to their schoolwork but they had managed to complete theirs for at least the next few days. 

They were now sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with just three minutes remaining in the lunch hour before they set out to the edge of the forest to spectate the first task. They were to sit in the stands grouped by schools, regardless of houses for the Hogwarts students. The parents of the champions would be seated in the uppermost seating area, near the Minister of Magic and judges. Remus had barely been able to eat what little food he had plated for his lunch, his appetite nearly non-existent from the listing of creatures they had speculated inhabited the forest. 

"We should head out now, Remus," James interrupted his thoughts, already standing next to Peter. Many of the students had already filtered out of the Great Hall to head down to the stands. "C'mon, mate. We'll find some good seats." 

"How are we meant to see what's going on if they're in the forest?" Remus wondered aloud as they walked down the hill, bundling his cloak tighter around him as a shield to the brisk November air. It hadn't snowed yet, but the sky was a bland gray and held the promise of snowfall soon. "I mean, obviously the judges must have some way to see since they're judging them." 

"I think Marlene mentioned they'd be offering some sort of enchanted sort of... Plate mirror thing, I suppose, that would show whichever champion is in the forest currently." Peter still didn't understand the enchantment they'd placed on the reflective plate of metal, but Marlene had explained it as being similar to a two-way mirror. 

Remus didn't answer, but there was an unspoken agreement that he would be the one commandeering it. He hadn't explicitly said anything about how he felt about Sirius to his friends, but he had been often told he wore his heart upon his sleeve. They didn't voice their suspicions or what they already knew, but Remus was sure they weren't being nosy out of respect until the first task was completed. They had found an empty row in the stands near the middle, high up so they could see the tops of the trees. It was a dense forest and even with the enchanted mirrors provided, seeing what was going on would prove to be a challenge. 

\- 

Sirius and the other two champions were waiting in a tent set up on the far edge of the forest, just out of sight of the students and professors in the stands. He was pacing in what little free space he had found in the corner furthest from the bed Constance Flint had sat herself upon. She was already proving to be a spoilsport, taunting Sirius with the potential threat of giant spiders lurking within the forest. Marcos was standing between the two, arms crossed resolutely across his chest while he waited for the Hogwarts Headmaster to return with the Minister to send him on his way. 

"Would you quit pacing?" Constance snapped, her eyes narrowed dangerously at Sirius. Outwardly she gave the aura of someone calm and collected, but the way she had been speaking to her mentor on the walk down to the tent led Sirius to believe otherwise. Sirius kept pacing, if only to spite the bitter Slytherin. 

She looked a bit ridiculous in her Tournament garb, a simple long-sleeved shirt, half green and black with her last name written across her shoulders. Sirius, at least, had been spared the ghastly split-color design and was wearing a fitted powder blue sweatshirt and darker blue trousers, with the Beauxbaton's crest embroidered above his heart. Granted, he too had his last name across his shoulders, but he would take the little wins in life. Marcos was wearing the least egregious uniform, a simple black long-sleeved shirt with matching trousers. The only design evident was the Castelbruxo crest over his heart as well, and the odd choice of his last name written vertically down his right sleeve. 

"Any words of wisdom before you walk towards the threat of death, Mr Black?" A nasally voice asked from the opening of the tent. Sirius didn't even have to turn around to know it was Mr Almedius from the Daily Prophet, but he stopped his pacing immediately. It was becoming increasingly annoying that the writer was targeting Sirius for interviews due to his family's prominence in the Wizarding world. 

"I'm sorry, are you a champion?" He asked the rat-like man bitterly, finally turning to look at him with contempt. "Because if you're not, I'll have to ask you to leave. I'm sure you paid your way in, but this tent is explicitly for champions in the Tournament." 

Almedius spluttered indignantly, floundering for a response that would surely voice his anger but keep him a safe distance from the wrath of the Black family. He never was able to come up with one, however, as Headmaster Dumbledore and Minister Minchum had returned from their excursion into the crowd of students. 

"Is there a problem here?" Dumbledore asked with raised eyebrows, glancing to the camera hung from Almedius's shoulders and the pad of paper floating beside him with an enchanted quill. 

"Oh no, not at all. Please, continue." Almedius said quickly, taking a step back but not leaving the tent. 

"Alright then, champions... Gather round," Minchum redirected the conversation, gesturing for the champions to stand in a circle with the Headmaster and him. "As a reminder, your challenge is to find a Prophecy Record hidden in the forest. Tread lightly and tread wisely- you never know what's hiding in the shadows. Now without further ado, Marcos you will be our first competitor of the day. You've two hours to complete the task, and your time will be signalled by our Caretaker setting off that cannon." 

The three champions looked up to the scraggly man that was standing on a flimsy stand that held an ancient looking canon. The man looked up immediately when the focus was on him and raised his lit match to the cannon. It fired with a deafening crack and Sirius found himself ducking and covering his ears. 

"Well," Headmaster Dumbledore spoke into the now silent tent, sounding rather apologetic at the rather sudden start Marcos would now have. "I suppose your two hours have begun, Mr Silva. Good luck unto you." 

As the Castelbruxo student and the Tournament's overseers left the tent, thankfully followed by the bitter Daily Prophet reporter, Sirius sat down on the bed furthest away from Constance. It was silent in the tent other than the loud pounding of Sirius's heart in his chest and the sound of Constance drumming her long nails against the flat bed she was sitting on. He had two hours to figure out a plan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sirius, êtes-vous prêt pour la tâche? Tu as l’air distrait." - "Sirius, are you up to the task? You look distracted."  
"Oh, oui, juste.. encore un peu fatigué. J’ai eu du mal à dormir la nuit dernière." - "Oh, yes, just... Still a little tired. I had trouble sleeping last night."  
"Quel est votre plan? Je suppose que vos nouveaux amis vous ont parlé des créa tures vivant dans cette forêt interdite." - "What is your plan? I assume your new friends told you of the creatures living in this Forbidden Forest."  
"Mon plan est de trouver le dossier dès que possible. J’aimerais survivre aujourd’hui avec un minimum de blessures." - "My plan is to find the record as soon as I can. I'd like to survive today with minimal wounds."  
-  
I hope you all enjoyed this update 💚 Comments and kudos fuel me!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus and Gang spectate the task. Sirius really doesn't like spiders, and honestly, who decided to let that tree grow there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Split POV again! I'm quite liking writing it so I might continue to toy around with this perspective in upcoming chapters as well. This chapter proved a bit difficult to write but once I got into the swing of it, it turned out nicely! Much longer than my chapters usually are but I just got excited writing about Erklings 😊 Happy reading and stay safe out there!

The sound of a cannon being set off had alarmed everyone in the stands, and judging by the gasps from even the uppermost seats it had gone off a bit early. Up first was Marcos, and he had 2 hours to retrieve the hidden Record from the forest. It was 11 now, Remus noted, so come 1 o'clock it would be the beginning of Sirius's turn regardless of whether or not the first one had been completed. The enchanted mirror in Remus's hand flickered to life and the three boys watched as the Brazilian wizard took his first few tentative steps into the forest. 

It was a silent affair, watching the mirrors from the stands, until an eery song echoed faintly from the forest. Whatever it was made Remus's hair raise and wish he had thought to bring a pair of earmuffs from the greenhouse. It had been difficult to discern the words being sung by a mystery creature in the forest, but it seemed Marcos was steadily walking closer to discern what it might be. 

_Into darkness taking flight, whispers on the wings of night,_

_follow us, our lovely tune, as above the smiling moon. _

A disembodied, high-pitched voice cackled through the hundreds of mirrors in the stands. It certainly was not a pleasant sound, though it was beginning to sound familiar to Remus. He was certain they had read something similar in their Herbology textbook the year before. A moment passed before the verse continued, and the rather disgusting looking creature appeared from the trees. 

_Diddle-dee-dee, diddle-dee-doe, not far now, not far to go,_

_Into twilight, into gloom, sing the sound of dawdling doom. _

It was an erkling, and a rather dirty one at that. Erklings were, as Remus recalled, elfish beasts that stood just under one meter tall. They preferred the flesh of children, but it seemed some had been imported for the champions to face in the Tournament. The erkling was holding what looked like a stick up to its mouth and a second later a dart flew from the end of the stick and into Marcos's ankle. Thankfully the darts served the purpose of being an annoyance rather than a threat, as they weren't poisoned. 

_Follow us, our lovely song, know that we can do no wrong,_

_Diddle-dee-dee, diddle-dee-doe..._

Marcos was quick to react and a Pullus Jinx shot out of the end of his wand, and where the erkling stood seconds before was a confused goose. The goose began honking and Marcos was quickly trying to shush it, though once the silencing charm was in place the quiet was deafening. Marcos stalked through the forest stealthily for thirty minutes, only finding trouble in the form of a small group of Pogrebins. He hadn't noticed them and as he continued his journey for his Prophecy Record one split from the group and followed him like a lost kitten. 

Forty-five minutes more passed and still Marcos hadn't found the Record, and the Brazilian students were sounding a bit antsy from their section in the stands. Suddenly, a triumphant shout echoed from the enchanted mirrors as Marcos whooped and raised a fist in the air. He dashed for the mysterious orb nestled in a tangle of underbrush, the stalking Pogrebin just behind him. The rock-like creatures were said to cause feelings of despair and futility after following a human for quite some time, though thankfully it seemed the time this one spent following Marcos wasn't quite enough to cause horrible side effects. Once the Prophecy Record was in Marcos's hand the Brazilian students were cheering, despite the sudden sullen look on their friend's face. 

Remus didn't know a lick of Portuguese, but something about the anguished cry the Brazilian student let out before falling to his knees, cradling the Record, told him that perhaps the Pogrebin did have an effect on the boy. There was shouts in Portuguese mingled with tearful gasps, but the Castelbruxo champion once again proved his worth when he powered through the despair to aim a kick at the Pogrebin. As the Russian demon fell to the ground the Brazilian students jumped up and cheered louder, applause and cries of victory now spreading throughout the entire stands. 

"You don't suppose Sirius will only have to deal with an Erkling and a Pogrebin, do you?" Peter leaned over to his friends, a hopeful smile on his lips. Granted, those two creatures were indeed still dangerous, though the spells to counteract their effects and ward them off were rather simple if done in a timely manner. 

Remus looked up to the judges and pursed his lips as they discussed the results of the first champion. "We can hope, but I honestly doubt it. It's not very likely he'll end up taking the same route as Marcos did." He eventually responded, handing the enchanted mirror over to James. In the time since Marcos had departed the forest it had gone blank, only showing a distorted reflection of its viewers. 

"Well there's fifteen minutes before it's Sirius's turn anyways," James said, directing the conversation to a lighter topic. "I'm sure Marcos will tell him and Constance about what he had to deal with, that way they'll be a little bit more prepared." 

\- 

The tent remained quiet for the first hour and a half, with nothing but the tick of a clock set in the corner of the tent. Sirius was sure he would be able to walk safely in the tent with his eyes closed after spending the time waiting studying everything around him. There was a worm but lavish rug beneath their feet, questionable stains dotted across the surface area. The beds were comfortable enough to sit on, but after nearly two hours he was beginning to feel a bit sore. There was a table with rows of empty goblets that were likely charmed to fill whenever picked up, and platters with ample amounts of fruits and crackers piled upon them. 

Sirius was just beginning to contemplate standing up to stretch his legs when a wretched cry sounded faintly from outside the tent. It sounded like despair put into sound, and Sirius found himself dreading the discovery of what made it. There was an uproar of applause and cheers afterwards which at least left Sirius with the thought that Marcos had survived, and, after looking up at the clock, had finished early by fifteen minutes. That, unfortunately, also meant that he was next. He swallowed thickly but it still felt like a frog had settled in his throat to make a home, and it wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon. 

The next moments passed unbearably fast and before Sirius could finish running through his plan Marcos and his mentor were back in the tent, followed shortly by Headmaster Dumbledore and Minister Minchum. Marcos looked stricken as he held onto a foggy glass orb, he didn't even look up to him or Constance while he was escorted to the empty bed between the two champions. When Sirius finally looked away from Marcos it was to see Headmaster Dumbledore and Madame Maxime standing in front of him with gentle smiles. 

"You have five minutes before we will be escorting you to the forest for the beginning of your task," the Hogwarts Headmaster said politely, hands clasped together at his waist. "I will leave you with Olympe to discuss any needed information. Our Caretaker will once again signal the start of your time with the sound of the cannon. I wish you luck, Mr Black." 

The Caretaker looked sheepish when Sirius looked over to him to make sure he wouldn't be setting the cannon off early again, though the long match was thankfully unlit in his gnarled hands. He turned his attention back to Madame Maxime as she explained that it appeared that the Ministry had imported several creatures for this task, but there was no way to know the entirety of what they had imported. Suddenly, Sirius thought, the Acromantulas seemed to be the least of his worries. 

"What happened during Marcos's time?" Sirius couldn't help himself from asking when he looked back over to the Brazilian student- he was looking less pale but still had a despaired look about him. "Was that him who shouted a bit ago?" 

"He was followed by a Pogrebin. Disgusting creatures." Madame Maxime offered no other explanation. He was sure they covered Pogrebins in at least one of their Magical Creatures lessons but he couldn't recall anything about them other than they resembled rocks. Judging from the reaction one had evoked from Marcos, though, Sirius really didn't want to find out what exactly they did do. 

"Are you ready, Mr Black?" Minister Minchum had snuck up behind Madame Maxime with a hand extended for Sirius to shake. The clock behind the Minister's shoulder read four minutes till one. 

"Of course," Sirius asserted as he gave the Minister a firm handshake befitting his namesake, forcing a charming smile upon his face. "I look forward to the challenge." He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth but all his years at Black family dinners had turned his mannerisms on autopilot. The Minister appeared to be happy with his response, however, and he had a pleased smile as he gestured for Sirius to walk towards the opening of the tent. 

He didn't pay attention as he and Madame Maxime walked towards the forest, accompanied by a painfully talkative Minister. They arrived exactly at the sound of the cannon and, despite the distance they had from the tent, it was still painfully loud. Sirius's heart thudded in his chest and he could barely hear Madame Maxime wishing him luck as he walked into the daunting forest. It was quieter in the forest, the cheers of the crowd now sounding as though they were ten miles away from him. 

With his wand gripped tightly in his left hand he ventured forward with a hesitant step, all the while looking around quickly to assess his surroundings. Sirius could hear birds chirping faintly throughout the branches, accompanied by the gentle breeze whistling through the leaves. Had he not been in his current situation he might have found this forest to be quite pleasant. However, given his current predicament of a rather large first hiding a small Prophecy Record, he would have to take in the beauty at a later date if possible. He continued his journey into the forest with his wand raised, forcing himself to tune out the sound of an animal howling in the distance. 

He wandered borderline aimlessly further into the heart of the forest, thankfully only encountering an Augurey fluttering across the higher branches. His first ten minutes in the forest were nothing extraordinary and Sirius was beginning to think he might be safe to relax when a branch of a nearby tree swung towards his face at a frightening speed. Before he could react by ducking down there was a loud crack and he could feel blood beginning to steadily drip down his face. Sirius stumbled backwards for a few steps, reaching blindly for anything he could hold onto, finally finding purchase on a nearby tree. Honestly, of all the things he expected to encounter in the forest, un Saule Cogneur was certainly at the bottom of the list. 

Sirius blinked the disorientation from his eyes to the best of his ability and began to walk forwards yet again, this time carefully avoiding the young Whomping Willow that hid behind a giant oak. His nose ached beyond words but despite all the practice over the past month he was still absolutely awful at healing spells. The likely broken nose would have to wait for now, so he held the sleeve of his sweatshirt up to the bloody mess to try and control it. With the sentient willow tree behind him he began searching for the Prophecy Record again. 

He spent what felt like an age turning round in circles near a chipping chunk of granite, and by the time he walked past it the forth time he was reaching his wit's end. He nearly kicked the damn rock but decided against it in the end- he already had a broken nose, what good would a broken foot do him when he had yet to find his Record? Sirius took a deep breath and pulled his right hand from his nose, which had thankfully stopped bleeding, to hold his wand. He held his left palm flat and rested his wand upon it gingerly, quietly murmuring the Pointez-moi spell in hopes that going North would lead him far away from the rock. 

Looking up at the canopy of the forest offered him no help, with the branches too densely packed to allow the sunlight to peak through the leaves. Fifteen minutes later found him in the middle of a clearing surrounded by dark trees. There were a few piles of desiccated white balls the size of pumpkins at the bases of the trees, some of them collapsing against those surrounding it. Cobwebs filled the inside of a decaying tree, and upon closer inspection spiders the size of Sirius's hand were crawling around inside of it. Sirius grimaced and stepped backwards, studying the white spheres with furrowed brows. Most seemed to be the size of pumpkins but there were a few smaller ones scattered around the edges of the clearing. One in particular caught his eye: it was the size of a bludger and looked as though most was swirling within it. It was his Prophecy Record. 

As Sirius reached for the Record he heard something large skittering behind him, and whatever it was was speaking. "Who are you?" The voice rasped, creaking even closer to him. 

Sirius clenched his eyes shut to allow himself a few brief seconds to ignore what was happening, drawing his hand back towards his chest while switching his wand back to his left hand. His head was still pounding from the literal run in with the Saule Cogneur and the last thing he needed was to take another hit to the head from the creature behind him. He was currently in denial about his predicament, but who could blame him for not wanting to deal with a spider larger than a carriage? Reluctantly he finally turned around to face the Acromantula, his grip on his wand now painfully right as his nails dug into his palm. 

"Uh," Sirius stammered eloquently, simply blinking at the spider and at a loss for words. "I... Nobody. Just looking for a way out of the forest." It was an illogical thought but Sirius found himself worried what might happen if the spider knew his name. 

"If you are nobody," The Acromantula rattled as it moved closer to him. "Then nobody will notice if you are gone. My children and I.... We are quite hungry, and who am I to deny them?" 

The spider's breath was truly awful. The sight of it moving closer to Sirius was even worse, though, and he found himself stepping backwards to avoid it coming near. He glanced behind him to check where the Record was- to his left by a few paces. The sound of what Sirius could only assume were baby Acromantulas on their way to the location was distant for now, but he knew within a minute they'd be all but right next to him. He continued taking minute steps backwards but it seemed the spider had caught on. It raised its front legs high in the air and snapped its pincers aggressively, growling somehow as it lunged. 

Sirius could only close his eyes and duck down, rolling backwards in the direction of the Prophecy Record. One of the spider's legs landed on his back as he grabbed desperately at the misty orb and it took all his self control to not gag at the feeling of it getting caught in his hair. Unfortunately the orb was not a Portkey, which was something he had been hoping for. He couldn't recall any rules against Apparating during a task so he rolled out of the spider's flailing legs once more and screwed his eyes shut, picturing the sturdy oak tree he had seen earlier in the forest. 

There was a loud crack as Sirius thudded against the forest floor but he thankfully managed to keep his grip on the Record. Landing on the ground had knocked the wind out of him and he coughed to try and clear the feeling. Where he had landed was quiet other than the sound of him wheezing and rolling from side to side on his back against the leaves on the ground, until he heard a branch whistling through the air. Sirius realized a second too late that the oak he had Apparated to was right in front of the Whomping Willow, narrowly avoiding a knot slamming into the ground beside his head as he rolled to the side. 

While the tree was young, it was not short on violence as its longest branches pummeled into the ground around Sirius. There was a few times they found their mark and it took everything in Sirius to not scream as a branch rammed into his shoulder and all but tossed him aside. He took his chance after being thrown and rolled into his stomach to crawl away from the murderous tree, flinching at the whoosh of air next to his head. It took him a moment to realize he had finally escaped the branches' reach and was safe from their bludgeoning. Sirius scrambled into a sitting position with his back against a tree, breathing heavily while he raised his Prophecy Record with shaking hands to assess any damage. Upon seeing not even a scratch he breathed a sigh of relief and pushed himself up off of the ground. 

He could faintly hear cheering as he walked away from the Saule Cogneur with his prize in hand, stumbling at the sound of three people Apparating around him. 

"Congratulations, Mr Black," Minister Minchum congratulated Sirius with a hand on his shoulder. It hurt like hell after being hit by the tree, and Minister Minchum wasn't the gentlest man, but he didn't say anything. "You've completed the first task of the Triwizard Tournament." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spiders and Whomping Willows oh my 😳 I hope you all enjoyed this update! Comments and kudos always always appreciated!
> 
> Apologies for it being so late as well- I've been between jobs and lacking some creative juices but I think I've finally got the tap flowing again!


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